Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin (1925–2014) was a pioneer in psychedelic chemistry. He literally wrote the book(s) on the topic, PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story and TiHKAL: The Continuation (the acronyms are “PiHKAL”: Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved, and “TiHKAL”: Tryptamines I Have Known and Loved). Shulgin personally synthesised and tested more than 230 psychoactive compounds in his career and introduced 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or “ecstasy”) for use by psychologists in the 1970s.
This is his personal laboratory at “the Farm” in Lafayette, California. Shulgin was a member of Mensa International and the Bohemian Club, which he refers to as the “Owl Club” in PiKHAL.