George de Hevesy was a pioneering radiochemist whose work revolutionized our understanding of chemical processes in biological systems. Born in Budapest on August 1, 1885, he came from an aristocratic Hungarian family with his father serving as Court Counsellor. After earning his doctorate from the University of Freiburg in 1908, he established himself as a leading researcher through positions at Manchester University under Ernest Rutherford and later at Niels Bohr's Institute in Copenhagen. His career spanned multiple European institutions including professorships at Freiburg University and Cornell University, with significant periods of scientific activity interrupted by the political turmoil of two world wars. He ultimately settled in Stockholm in 1943, becoming a Swedish citizen and continuing his research at the Institute of Research in Organic Chemistry until his retirement.
De Hevesy's most significant contribution was the development of isotopic tracer techniques, which he pioneered in 1913 when he proposed 'marking' lead with a radioactive isotope of radium to track its movement through biological systems. His 1923 co-discovery of the element hafnium with Dirk Coster provided crucial validation for Niels Bohr's atomic theory and periodic table organization. He later developed radioactivation analysis with Hilde Levi, creating a powerful new analytical technique that replaced traditional X-ray methods for elemental analysis. These innovations enabled scientists to trace the dynamic processes of metabolism and chemical reactions in living organisms for the first time, transforming biochemistry and medical diagnostics. His work laid the foundation for modern nuclear medicine and earned him the 1943 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 'work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes.'
The enduring legacy of de Hevesy's research extends far beyond his Nobel recognition, as isotopic tracer techniques became indispensable tools across numerous scientific disciplines from medicine to environmental science. During World War II, he famously dissolved the Nobel Prizes of Max von Laue and James Franck in aqua regia to protect them from Nazi confiscation, later recovering the gold after the war. His extensive publications, including nearly 400 scientific papers and his memoir 'Adventures in Radioisotope Research,' document a career dedicated to scientific innovation and discovery. He received numerous honors including the Copley Medal in 1949 and the Atoms for Peace Award in 1958, reflecting both the scientific importance and peaceful applications of his work. De Hevesy's death on July 5, 1966, marked the end of an extraordinary scientific journey that fundamentally transformed how we study chemical processes in living systems.
