Emil Fischer

Born in Euskirchen, Germany, in 1852, Emil Fischer became one of the leading chemists of his era. He studied under Adolf von Baeyer, later taught at several German universities, and built an international reputation for exact, elegant work in organic chemistry.

Fischer is especially remembered for his research on sugars, purines, and proteins. His studies clarified the structures of important compounds such as glucose-related molecules, caffeine, and uric-acid derivatives, and in 1902 he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his investigations of the sugar and purine groups.

Beyond his discoveries, his influence lasted because he gave chemists practical ways to think and work. The Fischer projection became a standard way to represent three-dimensional molecules on paper, and the reaction known as Fischer esterification remains a familiar part of chemistry teaching and practice.