Chemistry: 1902

Fischer, Emil (1852-1919), a German chemist, won the 1902 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his wide research. He built chemical compounds that duplicate those of naturally occurring sugars and determined the molecular structure of the sugars. He also did basic research on dyes, proteins, enzyme actions, and purine derivatives, such as uric acid and caffeine. During World War I (1914-1918), he conducted research on carbon, rubber, oils, fats, and other materials. Fischer was born in Euskirchen, near Bonn. He taught at the University of Berlin from 1892 until his death.

Contributor: Seymour Harold Mauskopf, Ph.D., Professor of History, Duke University.