chemistry

Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima

Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima rather than just read about it. In short: Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima (7 November 1908 – 21 September 1989) was a Brazilian chemist and microbiologist. He is notable in having been the first to isolate the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from natural sources, specifically Mimosa tenuiflora, in 1946, after having observed entheogenic use of vinho de jurema by locals in Brazil. de Lima isolated the compound in an impure form and was unaware of its che…

Key takeaways

Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima (7 November 1908 – 21 September 1989) was a Brazilian chemist and microbiologist. He is notable in having been the first to isolate the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from natural sources, specifically Mimosa tenuiflora, in 1946, after having observed entheogenic use of vinho de jurema by locals in Brazil. de Lima isolated the compound in an impure form and was unaware of its chemical identity, naming it nigerina (nigerine) at the time. He also tested and observed its effects in rodents, but did not test it in humans. Subsequently, DMT was isolated unequivocally for the first time by M. S. Fish and colleagues in 1955 and its hallucinogenic effects were discovered by Stephen Szara in 1956. Then, in 1959, using the same plant that de Lima had employed, nigerine was shown to be identical to DMT by Irwin Pachter and colleagues. Besides the initial isolation of DMT, de Lima also made many other scientific contributions.

See also List of psychedelic chemists Richard Manske

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima

In research: Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1908 births, 1989 deaths, Brazilian chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima in simple terms?

Why does Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima.