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The contribution of Franz Schardinger to cyclodextrins: a tribute on the occasion of the centenary of his death

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Abstract

For nearly 130 years, cyclodextrins, cyclic oligosaccharides obtained by enzymatic degradation of starch, have continued to fascinate researchers and the industrial world. These substances are remarkable macrocyclic molecules with significant theoretical and practical impacts in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, health science and agriculture. Amongst the list of prestigious researchers who have contributed to the fundamental knowledge of cyclodextrins, Franz Schardinger has played an important role. Schardinger was the first to describe their particular properties and lay the foundations for their chemistry. Indeed, he is known as the “Founding Father” of cyclodextrins. The purpose of this historical mini-review, on the occasion of the centenary of his death, is to commemorate his contribution to cyclodextrin chemistry.

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Acknowledgements

I would particularly like to thank Professor Benito Casu (1927–2016) (Istituto di Chimica e Biochimica G. Ronzoni, Milan, Italy) for most of the information collected, the reprints of many articles cited in this review, and for our many exchanges over the past 20 years. I would also like to thank Marc Fourmentin (Université du Littoral Côte-d’Opale, Dunkerque, France) for graphical abstract, Giangiacomo Torri (Istituto di Chimica e Biochimica G. Ronzoni, Milan, Italy) and Nadia Morin-Crini (Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France) for critical reading of early drafts of this review, and the reviewers who provided detailed comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249, FR Sciences Et Techniques, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, 25000, Besançon, France

    Grégorio Crini

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Crini, G. The contribution of Franz Schardinger to cyclodextrins: a tribute on the occasion of the centenary of his death. J Incl Phenom Macrocycl Chem 97, 19–28 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10847-020-00990-3

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