Psychedelic chemist Alexander Shulgin, author of PIHKAL and TIHKAL, has passed away according to The Guardian:
Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, who has died aged 88, was a pioneering and fearless scientist, but his chosen discipline – the design and synthesis of psychedelic drugs – was one of the most maligned and least understood. Shulgin invented hundreds of new psychedelic drugs, which he tested on himself, his wife, Ann, and friends, documenting their preparation and effects. But he wasn’t satisfied with mere discovery – he argued passionately for the rights of the individual to explore and map the limits of human consciousness without government interference.
He was most famously responsible for the emergence of one of the world’s most enduringly popular recreational designer drugs, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, also known as MDMA, or ecstasy. He did not invent it, since MDMA had been designed by the pharmaceutical firm Merck in 1912 in a bid to produce a blood-clotting agent. However, Shulgin was responsible for creating a new and easier synthesis of it.
Full Story: The Guardian: Alexander Shulgin obituary
More Info:
Erowid profile with lots of information, interviews and other links.
And here’s a documentary about Sasha and Ann Shulgin:
Shulgin joins other recently departed Technoccult saints H.R. Giger, Steve Moore, Shannon Larratt and Moebius.