Eduard Buchner

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German chemist and Nobel laureate

Eduard Buchner

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Eduard Buchner

Born	(1860-05-20)20 May 1860
Birth place	Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria
Died	13 August 1917(1917-08-13) (aged 57)
Place of death	Focșani, Kingdom of Romania
Nationality	German
Known for	Fermentation
Awards

Eduard Buchner (20 May 1860 – 13 August 1917) was a German chemist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry. He is best known for his work on fermentation, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1907.

Early Life and Education

Eduard Buchner was born in Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria. He studied chemistry at the University of Munich under the guidance of Adolf von Baeyer, a prominent chemist and Nobel laureate. Buchner completed his doctoral degree in 1888.

Career

After completing his education, Buchner held various academic positions. He worked at the University of Berlin, the University of Breslau, the University of Tübingen, and the University of Würzburg. His research primarily focused on biochemistry and enzymology.

Discovery of Cell-Free Fermentation

In 1897, Buchner made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of biochemistry. He demonstrated that fermentation could occur in a cell-free extract of yeast. This was a significant departure from the prevailing belief that fermentation required living cells. Buchner's experiments showed that enzymes, which he termed "zymase," were responsible for the fermentation process. This discovery laid the foundation for the field of enzymology and significantly advanced the understanding of biochemical processes.

Nobel Prize

In recognition of his pioneering work on fermentation, Eduard Buchner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1907. His research had a profound impact on the study of biochemistry and microbiology.

Death

Eduard Buchner died on 13 August 1917 in Focșani, Kingdom of Romania, from wounds sustained during World War I. He was serving as a major in the German Army at the time of his death.

Legacy

Buchner's work on cell-free fermentation remains a cornerstone in the field of biochemistry. His discovery of enzymes as catalysts in biochemical reactions has had lasting implications for medicine, pharmacology, and industrial chemistry.

See Also

• Fermentation (biochemistry)
• Enzyme
• Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Adolf von Baeyer