Scientist of the day - Eduard Buchner

Eduard Buchner was a German chemist and a zymologist who won the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Born into an educationally distinguished family, he lost his father when he was barely eleven years old. His elder brother, Hans Buchner, helped him to get good education. However, financial crisis forced Eduard to give up his studies for a temporary phase and he spent this period working in preserving and canning factory. Later, he resumed his education under well-known scientists and very soon received his doctorate degree. He then began working on chemical fermentation. However, his experience at the canning factory did not really go waste. Many years later while working with his brother at the Hygiene Institute at Munich he remembered how juices were preserved by adding sugar to it and so to preserve the protein extract from the yeast cells, he added a concentrated doze of sucrose to it. What followed is history. Sugar in the presence of enzymes in the yeast broke into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Later he identified the enzyme as zymase. This chance discovery not only brought him Nobel Prize in Chemistry, but also brought about a revolution in the field of biochemistry. 

Childhood & Early Years

Eduard Buchner was born on May 20, 1860, in Munich, into a well-known Bavarian family. His father, Ernst Buchner, was the Professor Extraordinary of Forensic Medicine and Obstetrics. In addition, he was also the editor of the Ärztliches Intelligenzblatt (later Münchener medizinische Wochenschrift). His mother’s name was Friederike née Martin.

Eduard’s elder brother, Hans Ernst August Buchner, was ten years senior to him. He grew up to be a well-known bacteriologist and a pioneer in the field of immunology. He not only supported Eduard’s education after their father’s death in 1872, but also assisted him in his works in later years. 

Major Works

Eduard Buchner is best remembered for his discovery of zymase, an enzyme mixture that promotes cell free fermentation. However, it was a chance discovery. He was then working in his brother’s laboratory in Munich trying to produce yeast cell free extracts, which the latter wanted to use in an application for immunology.

 

To preserve the protein in the yeast cells, Eduard Buchner added concentrated sucrose to it. Bubbles began to form soon enough. He realized that presence of enzymes in the yeast has broken down sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Later, he identified this enzyme as zymase and showed that it can be extracted from yeast cells. This single discovery laid the foundation of modern biochemistry.

 

Awards & Achievements

In 1907, Eduard Buchner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his biochemical researches and his discovery of cell-free fermentation".

He was elected as the President of the German Chemical Society in 1904-1905.

 

Scientist of the day - Abraham Pais

Born in a family of educators, Pais was a bright student since his childhood days. He was interested in languages and learnt English, French and German in high school. It was during his college days that he was drawn to exact sciences and later went on to pursue his doctorate in theoretical physics. Being Jewish, Pais and his family faced grave dangers during the World War II but he and his parents survived the war with the help of some non-Jewish friends. His sister Annie was killed in the concentration camps. Working with the likes of Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein, after the war, he had an enriching experience. His theories on ‘associated production’ and composition of the sub atomic particle ‘Kaon’ were pioneering works in nuclear physics. His books on history of modern physics were famous among the patrons of science all over the world. Albert Einstein’s biography written by this prominent science historian is considered one of his best works. He continued to work even after retiring as a Professor Emeritus from the Rockefeller University. In his memory, the American Physical Society has been awarding ‘Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics’ since 2005. To know more about his life and works read on. 

Childhood & Early Life

Pais was the eldest child born to his Jewish parents Isaiah Jacques Pais and Kaatje Cato van Kleeff in Amsterdam on May 19, 1918. Isaiah and Kleeff had met each other during their training for teaching in elementary-school. Kleeff left her job after their marriage.

Major Works

• Pais is known for his works on particle physics. The theory on ‘associated production’ and composition of Kaon particles are his major contribution to the field of nuclear physics.
• His biography on Albert Einstein ‘Lord is Subtle’ is acclaimed as one of the finest biographies of a scientist ever written. The book even won the ‘US National Book Award’.

  Awards & Achievements

  • In 1976, Pais was honoured with the ‘Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Prize’ for his contribution to particle physics.
  • The ‘Rockefeller University’ presented him the ‘Lewis Thomas Prize’ for his writings on the scientific community in 1995. 

    Personal Life & Legacy

    • Abraham Pais was married to Jeanne who was arrested along with him by the Gestapo during the World War II. Later he got married to Lila Lee Atwil. Ida Nicolaisen was his third wife, with whom he spent the last days of his life. Abraham’s son Josh Pais is a Hollywood actor.
    • He died of heart failure in 2000 at Copenhagen. In his last days he was working on a biography of Robert Oppenheimer..

      Trivia

      "One of the strangest things I learned, one of the strangest things, is how to think. There was nothing else to do. I couldn't see people, or go for a walk in the forest. All I had was my head and my books, and I thought a lot.", is a quote by the famous Dutch-American physicist.