98
At the beginning of the 1970s, the work on cyclodextrin research started in the
Biochemical Research Laboratory of Chinoin. This lab became an independent unit
in 1989, and then Professor Szejtli created CycloLab, a private company totally
devoted to cyclodextrins. Indeed, he was not only an engineer and academic, occupying a central place in the scientific knowledge of cyclodextrin, but also an entrepreneur and businessman. In the 1980s, Professor Szejtli made an important
contribution to chemistry of cyclodextrins, to the dissemination of results and in
their industrial applications.
Over a period of 30 years, from 1975 to 2004, Professor Szejtli published more
than 500 publications on cyclodextrins and has given more than 200 invited lectures
throughout his career. In particular, numerous significant and comprehensive
reviews were published on their fundamentals, properties, and applications. His
name is very often cited in the bibliographic references of articles speaking of
cyclodextrins.
Professor Szejtli is internationally recognized and considered as an eminent scientist and visionary, the “Godfather of Cyclodextrins” (D’Souza and Lipkowitz
1998; Loeve and Normand 2011; Crini 2014). The Professor Tsuneji Nagai designated him as “Mr. Cyclodextrin.”
This chapter is a tribute to his scientific oeuvre. First, it gives a general overview
of his outstanding scientific career. Then, we highlight selected important works on
starch and cyclodextrins published over five decades by Professor Szejtli.
2.2 József Szejtli, 1933–2004
2.2.1 Early Years
József Szejtli was born on December 28, 1933 in Nagykanizsa, Hungary. During
1953–1962, Szejtli studied chemical engineering at the University of Technical
Sciences, Budapest, where he received his M.Sc. in 1957 (chemical engineer) and
his PhD in starch chemistry in 1961. He worked under the supervision of Professor
János Holló, Head of the Department of Agricultural Chemical Technology. During
this period, Szejtli studied the structure of starch, its hydrolysis, and the mechanism
of starch-iodine reaction (Holló and Szejtli 1957a, b, c, 1958, 1959a, b, 1968; Holló
et al. 1959a, b, c, 1962, 1964). At that time, the young student also studied cycloamyloses with the expectation that they would shed some light on the molecular structure of amylose helix.
2.2.2 His Scientific Career
During 1963–1964, Dr. Szejtli was a postdoctorate fellow at the Technical University
of Trondheim, Norway, invited by the Royal Norwegian Academy. During this
period, he pursued his studies on the hydrolysis of starch and also studied seaweed
G. Crini et al.
At the beginning of the 1970s, the work on cyclodextrin research started in the
Biochemical Research Laboratory of Chinoin. This lab became an independent unit
in 1989, and then Professor Szejtli created CycloLab, a private company totally
devoted to cyclodextrins. Indeed, he was not only an engineer and academic, occupying a central place in the scientific knowledge of cyclodextrin, but also an entrepreneur and businessman. In the 1980s, Professor Szejtli made an important
contribution to chemistry of cyclodextrins, to the dissemination of results and in
their industrial applications.
Over a period of 30 years, from 1975 to 2004, Professor Szejtli published more
than 500 publications on cyclodextrins and has given more than 200 invited lectures
throughout his career. In particular, numerous significant and comprehensive
reviews were published on their fundamentals, properties, and applications. His
name is very often cited in the bibliographic references of articles speaking of
cyclodextrins.
Professor Szejtli is internationally recognized and considered as an eminent scientist and visionary, the “Godfather of Cyclodextrins” (D’Souza and Lipkowitz
1998; Loeve and Normand 2011; Crini 2014). The Professor Tsuneji Nagai designated him as “Mr. Cyclodextrin.”
This chapter is a tribute to his scientific oeuvre. First, it gives a general overview
of his outstanding scientific career. Then, we highlight selected important works on
starch and cyclodextrins published over five decades by Professor Szejtli.
2.2 József Szejtli, 1933–2004
2.2.1 Early Years
József Szejtli was born on December 28, 1933 in Nagykanizsa, Hungary. During
1953–1962, Szejtli studied chemical engineering at the University of Technical
Sciences, Budapest, where he received his M.Sc. in 1957 (chemical engineer) and
his PhD in starch chemistry in 1961. He worked under the supervision of Professor
János Holló, Head of the Department of Agricultural Chemical Technology. During
this period, Szejtli studied the structure of starch, its hydrolysis, and the mechanism
of starch-iodine reaction (Holló and Szejtli 1957a, b, c, 1958, 1959a, b, 1968; Holló
et al. 1959a, b, c, 1962, 1964). At that time, the young student also studied cycloamyloses with the expectation that they would shed some light on the molecular structure of amylose helix.
2.2.2 His Scientific Career
During 1963–1964, Dr. Szejtli was a postdoctorate fellow at the Technical University
of Trondheim, Norway, invited by the Royal Norwegian Academy. During this
period, he pursued his studies on the hydrolysis of starch and also studied seaweed
G. Crini et al.