Norman Haworth
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Walter Norman Haworth
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1937
Born: 19 March 1883, Chorley, United Kingdom
Died: 19 March 1950, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Affiliation at the time of the award: Birmingham University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Prize motivation: “for his investigations on carbohydrates and vitamin C”
Prize share: 1/2
Work
In addition to carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, our bodies need water, salts, and substances known as vitamins to grow and function properly. Norman Haworth studied the composition of carbohydrates, and around 1928 he mapped the composition and structure of various forms of sugar, starch, and cellulose. In 1933 Haworth also determined the molecular structure of vitamin C—a substance that is necessary to avoid being stricken with scurvy. Among other things, the results paved the way for the artificial production of vitamin C.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
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