Hermann Emil Louis Fischer (1852 - 1919)

Born 9 Oct 1852 in Euskirchen, Rheinprovinz, Preußen, Deutscher Bund

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 15 Jul 1919 at age 66 in Berlin, Brandenburg, Preußen, Deutsches Reich

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Biography

Emil Fischer is Notable.

Emil Fischer was a German chemist. He made important advances in organic chemistry. By elucidating the structure of various biological molecules, he became a pioneer in biochemistry. His scientific work includes the synthesis of phenylhydrazine, which he used to synthesize indole and to elucidate the stereochemistry of sugar molecules. He also synthesized various stereoisomers of sugars. The Fischer projection, which he introduced, is a method for unambiguously mapping the spatial structure of chiral sugar compounds. Fischer also investigated the chemical structure of uric acid, xanthines, and caffeine and proved that they are derived from a nitrogenous base with a bicyclic structure, which he named "purine". As another class of substances, he studied amino acids and proteins and synthesized minor peptides. His work on enzymes and the metabolism of sugar stereoisomers by yeasts led to Fischer's formulation of the lock-and-key principle between enzyme and substrate. He also explored the substance class of lipids and depsides. In 1902 he synthesized the first barbiturate, diethyl barbituric acid. Emil Fischer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902 in recognition of his work on sugar and purine syntheses. He was the first organic chemist to receive this award.^[1][2]

Hermann Emil Fischer was born on 9 Oct 1852 in Euskirchen, Rheinprovinz, Preußen, the son of Laurenz Fischer (1807-1902) and Julie, née Poensgen.^[3]

Emil was the youngest of eight children and the only surviving son. So his father expected him to inherit the family's lumber business, but Emil had no business sense.^[2] Fischer began studying chemistry the University of Bonn in 1871, but switched to the University of Strasbourg in 1872. He earned his doctorate in 1874 under Adolf von Baeyer with his study of phthaleins, and was appointed assistant instructor at Strasbourg University.^[1]

In 1875 von Baeyer was asked to succeed Justus von Liebig at the University of Munich, and Fischer went there with him to become an assistant in organic chemistry. In 1878 Fischer qualified as a "Privatdozent" at Munich, where he was appointed associate professor of analytical chemistry in 1879. In 1881 he was appointed professor of chemistry at the University of Erlangen. In 1885 he was asked to become professor of chemistry at the University of Würzburg.^[4]

Emil married Agnes Gerlach (born abt. 1861, died 12 Nov 1895), daughter of Joseph von Gerlach, in Feb 1888 in Erlangen. They had the following children:^[2]

• Hermann Otto Laurenz (16 Dec 1888 - 9 Mar 1960),
• Walter (5 Jul 1891 - 4 Nov 1916),
• Alfred (3 Oct 1894 - 29 Mar 1917).

In 1892 Fischer succeeded August Wilhelm von Hofmann as professor of chemistry at the University of Berlin and remained there throughout the rest of his life. In 1902 he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.^[1]

During World War I, Fischer served on many government, scientific, and industrial committees as an advisor, particularly with regard to securing sufficient quantities of explosives and their precursor, saltpeter.^[2]

Emil passed away in 1919.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} English Wikipedia article on Emil Fischer
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} German Wikipedia article on Emil Fischer
3. ↑ "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5QX-ZBC : 21 July 2021), Hermann Emil Fischer, 1852.
4. ↑ Emil Fischer – Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Thu. 26 Jan 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1902/fischer/biographical/
5. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #162529700

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q70554
• Emil Fischer – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Thu. 26 Jan 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1902/fischer/facts/
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät | Institut für Chemie | Department | Historischer Abriss. Geschichte des Instituts für Chemie