Paul Hagenmuller (1921 - 2017)#

Paul Hagenmuller passed away on January 7, 2017; he was 95 years old.

Honorary Professor of the University of Bordeaux, creator and director of the “CNRS Laboratory of Chimie du Solide” until 1985, he is recognized as one of the founders of Solid State Chemistry in Europe, at the interface of Chemistry, Physics and Materials Science. He worked all his life for the merging of these three disciplines, as well as with the Industry world.

Paul Hagenmuller was a world-renowned scientist, hosting many young foreign researchers from China, Korea, Japan, Brazil, Morocco, Russia, USA and, obviously, many European countries. He started exchange programs with German groups as soon as 1960, and such a cooperation should be pointed out, since from 1943 to 1945, P. Hagenmuller had been interned in the Nazi concentration camps of Buchenwald and Dora. He drew from his stay in the camps a legendary fighting force, but also a taste for communication and humanity. The highest honor of Germany, the "Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit" (Bundesverdienstkreuz) was presented to him by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

P. Hagenmuller received the 39-45 War Cross and he was Commander of the “Legion d’Honneur”. A dozen Academies worldwide welcomed him as a member, and several universities as Doctor Honoris Causa. It should be reminded that, among the many scientific activities he has carried out throughout his career, Paul Hagenmuller has particularly valued Fluorine chemistry at the national and international levels by organizing Symposiums: Aix-en-Provence,1970; Avignon,1979; Paris,1986; by publishing books, and establishing many scientific exchanges. After the 1986 Centennial Meeting, he successfully launched the International Moissan Prize, which is now managed by the Foundation of the “Maison de la Chimie”. In 1997 he was awarded of the Henri Moissan Award.

The scientific work of P. Hagenmuller is tremendous, including about one thousand papers, well recognized books, and illuminating conferences.

It is a great scientist, one of the founding fathers of Solid State Chemistry, who just left us.

Prof. Michel Pouchard,
Emeritus Professor, University Bordeaux
Member of the French Academy of Sciences.