Manfred Eigen was a pioneering German physical chemist whose revolutionary work transformed the study of ultrafast chemical reactions. Born in Bochum, Germany in 1927, he received his PhD from the University of Göttingen in 1951 under the supervision of Arnold Eucken after leaving formal education at age 15 to serve in World War II. He began his groundbreaking research on fast ionic reactions in solution during 1951-1953, encouraged by ultrasound absorption measurements conducted by colleagues Konrad Tamm and Walter Kurtze. Eigen became director of the Max Planck Institute for Physical Chemistry in 1964 and later founded the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in 1971 by merging the Physical Chemistry and Spectroscopy institutes.
Eigen's most significant contribution was the development of relaxation methods, which enabled scientists to measure chemical reactions occurring in nanoseconds, a feat previously thought impossible. He pioneered the use of high-frequency sound waves to disturb chemical equilibrium and measure the time required for the system to return to equilibrium, thereby determining reaction rates in the micro- and nanosecond range. Awarded the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work, his methods closed the gap between classical reaction kinetics and spectroscopy, allowing unprecedented study of proton reactions and hydrogen ion formation in water. His research solved major problems in physical chemistry and advanced understanding of chemical processes within living organisms, laying foundations for future biochemical investigations.
Beyond his Nobel-winning work, Eigen made substantial contributions to the understanding of life's biochemical origins and evolution, developing the theory of quasispecies and the chemical hypercycle with Peter Schuster in 1977. He established a multidisciplinary program at the Max Planck Institute to study life's molecular foundations, creating what was hailed as a new scientific discipline: evolutionary biotechnology. Despite receiving job offers from prestigious institutions worldwide, Eigen remained dedicated to the Max Planck Society, where his influence extended across thermodynamics, spectroscopy, and biological control processes. His legacy continues to shape both physical chemistry and molecular biology, with his innovative approaches to studying dynamic chemical systems remaining fundamental to modern research in these fields.
