Luis E. Miramontes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luis E. Miramontes
Luis E. Miramontes c. 1953
Born	Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas (1925-03-16)16 March 1925 Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Died	13 September 2004(2004-09-13) (aged 79) Mexico City, Mexico
Alma mater	National Autonomous University of Mexico
Known for	Synthesis of progestin norethisterone
Awards	Mexican National Prize in Chemistry (1986) Top Chemical Engineer of all times (2011)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemistry, chemical engineering
Institutions	Syntex G. D. Searle & Company National Autonomous University of Mexico Universidad Iberoamericana Mexican Institute of Petroleum

Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas (born March 16, 1925 – died September 13, 2004) was a famous Mexican chemist. He is best known for helping to invent and being the first person to create a very important medicine called norethisterone. This medicine is a type of progestin.

A Chemist's Journey

Luis Miramontes was born in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. He studied chemical engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). After finishing his studies, he became one of the first researchers at the Institute of Chemistry at UNAM. He focused on Organic Chemistry, which is the study of chemicals found in living things.

Working Life

Miramontes also taught at the Faculty of Chemistry at UNAM. He was a director and professor at the School of Chemistry at the Universidad Iberoamericana. Later, he became a research deputy director at the Mexican Institute of Petroleum (IMP).

His Big Discoveries

Luis Miramontes made many important scientific contributions. He wrote many articles and held almost 40 patents. Patents are like official documents that protect new inventions. His inventions were in different areas, including:

• Organic chemistry (the study of carbon-based compounds)
• Pharmaceutical chemistry (making medicines)
• Petrochemistry (chemicals from oil)
• Atmospheric chemistry (chemicals in the air)

He died in Mexico City in 2004.

Awards and Honors

Luis Miramontes received many awards and honors for his amazing work:

• In 1985, he received the "Estado de Mexico" Medal for science and arts. He also got special recognition from his home state of Nayarit.
• He won the Mexican National Prize on Chemistry "Andrés Manuel del Rio" in 1986.
• In 1989, he became a member of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. This group works for peace and world development. The Pugwash Conferences won the Peace Nobel Prize in 1995.
• In 1992, a hospital in Tepic, Nayarit, was named "Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas Hospital" in his honor.
• The Mexican Ministry of Health recognized his scientific work in 1994. This happened when they started the National Program on Family Planning in Mexico.
• In 1998, he received the "Amado Nervo" Medal from the government of Nayarit.

Luis E. Miramontes (right) with Nobel Laureate Mario Molina, around 1995

• In 2001, both the UNAM and the Mexican Ministry of Health honored Miramontes. This was for the 50th anniversary of his invention of norethisterone.
• In 2003, norethisterone was named one of the 17 most important molecules in human history.
• In 2004, Luis Miramontes' invention was chosen as the 20th most important invention of all time. This was part of a project by The Engineering and Technology Board of the United Kingdom.
• In 2005, the Mexican Academy of Sciences called his invention the most important Mexican contribution to world science ever.
• In 2009, the BBC in London named him one of the five most important Latin American researchers of all time.
• Also in 2009, the School of Chemistry at UNAM recognized him as one of their most successful and important graduates. They even named their 2009 prize, QUIMIUNAM, after him.
• In 2010, a publication called TCE Today said he was "one of the chemical engineers who changed the world."
• He was nominated as a top Icon & Legend of America by The Innovators of America initiative in 2010.
• In 2011, the IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers) named him one of the world’s most influential chemical engineers ever.
• The Mexican Institute of Chemical Engineers IMIQ created a prize in his name in 2011. It is called the "Ing. Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas" Prize. It honors outstanding Mexicans in chemical engineering research.

Luis E. Miramontes, Andrés Manuel del Río (who discovered vanadium), and Mario Molina (who won the Chemistry Nobel Prize in 1995) are considered the three most important Mexican chemists of all time.

See also

In Spanish: Luis Ernesto Miramontes para niños