Emil Fischer

Facts

Hermann Emil Fischer

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Hermann Emil Fischer
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1902

Born: 9 October 1852, Euskirchen, Prussia (now Germany)

Died: 15 July 1919, Berlin, Germany

Affiliation at the time of the award: Berlin University, Berlin, Germany

Prize motivation: "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his work on sugar and purine syntheses."

Prize share: 1/1

Work

Carbohydrates, including sugar, are crucial to the biological processes of living organisms. In 1877 Emil Fischer produced phenylhydrazine, a base that helped reveal sugar molecules' structures. Fischer was able to produce several sugars artificially and to map the structure of their molecules. Another group of substances with important biological functions is nitrogenous compounds, or purines. Emil Fischer showed that purines form the caffeine found in coffee and its equivalents in tea and cacao.

To cite this section
MLA style: Emil Fischer – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2018. Thu. 15 Nov 2018. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1902/fischer/facts/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2018

This year 12 new laureates have been awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. Their work and discoveries range from cancer therapy and laser physics to developing proteins that can solve humankind’s chemical problems. The work of the 2018 Nobel Laureates also included combating war crimes, as well as integrating innovation and climate with economic growth. Find out more.
Nobel prizes burgundy 2018

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.