Paul Karrer was a pioneering Swiss organic chemist renowned for his groundbreaking work on the chemical structures of vitamins and plant pigments. Born in Moscow on April 21, 1889 to Swiss parents, he returned to Switzerland in 1892 and pursued his chemistry studies at the University of Zurich under Nobel laureate Alfred Werner, earning his PhD in 1911. Following this, he spent five and a half years working with Nobel Prize winner Paul Ehrlich at the Georg Speyer Haus in Frankfurt, Germany, where he studied organic compounds of arsenic and other metals. In 1919, he returned to the University of Zurich as Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Chemical Institute, where he remained for the rest of his illustrious career, conducting research that would fundamentally transform nutritional science.
Karrer's most significant contributions centered on the elucidation of plant pigment structures, particularly carotenoids, which give color to fruits and vegetables. In 1930, he established the correct constitutional formula for beta-carotene, marking the first time that anyone had discovered the structure of a provitamin or vitamin, and demonstrated how the animal body uses this compound to produce vitamin A, essential for proper vision and growth. His research extended to other vital nutrients as he solved the structure of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) in 1935 and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in 1938, while also confirming the structure of vitamin C. These discoveries were not merely theoretical; Karrer registered 78 patents throughout his career, demonstrating his remarkable ability to bridge fundamental chemistry with practical applications that would benefit human health.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937 for his research into the constitution of carotenoids, flavins, and vitamins A and B, Karrer's work laid the essential foundations for modern vitamin research and nutritional science. His influential textbook 'Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie' (Textbook of Organic Chemistry) went through thirteen editions and was published in seven languages, educating generations of chemists worldwide. Beyond his specific discoveries, Karrer possessed an extraordinary sense for research topics that were both scientifically important and commercially relevant, a quality that significantly contributed to the success of Switzerland's chemical industry. Today, his legacy endures through the continued study of vitamins and their critical role in human health, with his pioneering methods and insights remaining fundamental to biochemical research.
