Emil Fischer(1852 — 1919)
Emil Fischer
Allemagne, Empire allemand
6 min read
Emil Fischer (1852-1919) was a German chemist regarded as one of the founders of modern organic chemistry. His work on sugars, purines, and proteins earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1852 in Euskirchen, near Cologne (Germany)
- Elucidated the structure and stereochemistry of sugars (glucose, fructose) starting in 1884
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902 for his work on sugars and purines
- Formulated the “lock and key” model in 1894, explaining the specificity of enzymes
- Died in 1919 in Berlin
Works & Achievements
A compound that became the universal tool for studying sugars; it underpins Fischer's entire method of analysis.
First laboratory production of natural sugars, proving that chemistry can recreate the molecules of life.
Fischer connects and synthesizes caffeine, theobromine and uric acid, founding the chemistry of a large family of biological molecules.
A foundational concept of biochemistry: it explains the specificity of enzymes and is still taught today.
Awarded for his work on sugars and purines; he is the second laureate in the history of this prize.
Fischer links amino acids into chains, paving the way for understanding the structure of proteins.
A graphical notation for representing the spatial configuration of molecules, which became a standard of organic chemistry.
Anecdotes
In 1875, as a young chemist, Emil Fischer discovered phenylhydrazine, a compound that would become his favorite tool for studying sugars. Cruel irony: this very substance he handled throughout his life caused him serious health problems (chronic eczema and digestive troubles), illustrating the little-known dangers of chemistry at the time.
In 1890, Fischer achieved the total synthesis of glucose, fructose, and mannose from glycerine. This tour de force proved that molecules until then reserved for living things could be made in the laboratory — a decisive blow against the idea of a mysterious “vital force” unique to living beings.
To explain how an enzyme precisely recognizes the molecule it acts upon, Fischer proposed in 1894 the famous image of the “lock and key”: each enzyme fits into its substrate like a key into a lock. This metaphor is still taught today in every biology course.
The First World War shattered Emil Fischer: two of his three sons died, one in combat, the other by suicide after grueling military training. Overwhelmed by grief, ill, and depressed, the great chemist took his own life in 1919.
When Fischer received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902, he was only the second laureate in the history of this newly created award. His name remains attached to countless concepts in organic chemistry: the Fischer projection, the Fischer esterification, and the Fischer indole synthesis.
Primary Sources
To use an image, I would say that enzyme and glucoside must fit together like a key and its lock, in order to be able to exert a chemical action on one another.
The artificial synthesis of grape sugar (glucose) and of several related sugars shows that these compounds, long regarded as produced exclusively by living nature, are within reach of the chemist.
The transformations I was able to carry out in the purine group led me to the synthesis of caffeine, theobromine and uric acid, establishing the kinship of these natural substances.
By linking amino acids to one another through an amide bond, I was able to obtain chains that I call polypeptides, which in their properties resemble natural proteins.
Key Places
Fischer's birthplace, near Cologne, where he grew up in a family of prosperous merchants.
Here Fischer earned his doctorate in 1874 under Adolf von Baeyer and discovered phenylhydrazine.
Professor of chemistry from 1885 to 1892, Fischer carried out here his decisive work on the synthesis of sugars.
From 1892 onward, Fischer held the prestigious chair of chemistry here, where he studied purines and proteins and built one of the largest laboratories in Europe.
Here Fischer followed von Baeyer and began his career as a researcher, amid the excitement of the Bavarian school of organic chemistry.
