Manfred Eigen

Queen Beatrix meets Nobel Laureates in 1983c

Manfred Eigen (9 May 1927 – 6 February 2019) was a German biophysical chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967, sharing it with Ronald George Wreyford Norrish and George Porter. He was recognized for his work on extremely fast chemical reactions induced in response to very short pulses of energy.

Early Life and Education

Manfred Eigen was born in Bochum, Germany. He pursued his higher education at the University of Göttingen, where he studied physics and chemistry. After completing his doctoral thesis in natural sciences, Eigen began his career in research, focusing on the study of chemical reaction kinetics.

Career and Research

Eigen's work was pioneering in the field of chemical kinetics, particularly in the development of techniques to observe fast chemical reactions. Before his contributions, the methods available for studying these reactions were limited, making it difficult to understand the mechanisms behind them. Eigen developed a method using ultrashort pulses of energy to initiate reactions and then used spectroscopy to observe the reaction as it unfolded. This technique allowed for the observation of reactions on a timescale of nanoseconds, a significant advancement in the field.

His research had a profound impact on the understanding of the physical processes underlying chemical reactions, including the study of reaction rates and the exploration of how molecules interact and change during a reaction. This work not only contributed to the field of chemistry but also had applications in biology, where understanding the kinetics of biochemical reactions is crucial.

Nobel Prize

In 1967, Manfred Eigen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of extremely fast chemical reactions, effected by disturbing the equilibrium by means of very short pulses of energy. His co-recipients, Norrish and Porter, were recognized for their complementary methods in the study of fast reactions. Eigen's Nobel Prize was a testament to the significance of his contributions to the field of chemistry and his development of a method that opened new avenues for research in chemical kinetics.

Later Work and Legacy

Following his Nobel Prize win, Eigen continued to contribute to the fields of chemistry and biology. He was particularly interested in the thermodynamics of biological systems and the evolution of molecules. His later work included studies on enzyme kinetics and the stability of the genetic code, which has had implications for understanding the molecular basis of life and evolution.

Eigen was also a member of several prestigious scientific organizations and received numerous awards and honors in recognition of his contributions to science.

Death

Manfred Eigen passed away on 6 February 2019. His death marked the loss of one of the most influential chemists of the 20th century, whose work continues to impact the fields of chemistry and biology.