Fritz Pregl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fritz Pregl
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| Born | 3 September 1869 |
| Died | 13 December 1930 (aged 61) Graz, Styria, Austria
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| Nationality | Austria-Hungary |
| Alma mater | University of Graz |
| Occupation | Graz circuit forensic chemist (1907) Dean of the Graz University Medical Faculty (1916-1917) Vice Chancellor of Graz University (1920-1921) |
| Known for | Microelemental analysis |
| Awards | Lieben Prize (1914) Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1923) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry, medicine |
| Institutions | University of Graz, University of Innsbruck |
| Doctoral advisor | Alexander Rollett |
Fritz Pregl (Slovene: Friderik Pregl; 3 September 1869 – 13 December 1930) was a Slovenian-Austrian chemist and doctor. He came from a family that spoke both Slovene and German. In 1923, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He earned this award for his important work in quantitative organic microanalysis. This means he found better ways to study tiny amounts of chemicals. One of his key improvements was to the method called the combustion train technique. This technique helps scientists figure out what elements are in a substance.
Biography
Fritz Pregl was born in Ljubljana, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. His father spoke Slovene, and his mother spoke German. He was given the name Friedrich Michael Raimund Pregl. He later passed away in Graz, Austria, in 1930.
Pregl began his career as a chemist after studying medicine at the University of Graz. He was very interested in physiology, which is the study of how living things work. He especially focused on the chemical processes inside living things. He faced a challenge because the methods for analyzing chemicals needed a lot of material. When he was studying bile acid, he only had very small amounts of it. This made it hard to study using the old methods.
Pregl decided to improve the process of elemental analysis. He worked to reduce the amount of substance needed for testing. After much research, he found a way to analyze substances using 50 times less material. He invited other chemists to learn his new method. Because of this, his method for analyzing tiny samples quickly became very popular.
Remembering Fritz Pregl
Fritz Pregl's work is still remembered today. In 1950, the department at the University of Graz where he worked was named the Institute of Medical Chemistry and Pregl Laboratory. Streets in several Austrian cities, like Graz, Innsbruck, Vienna, and Klagenfurt, are named after him.
In Slovenia, special awards called Pregl Awards are given out every year since 2007. The National Institute of Chemistry gives these awards for great research work and outstanding doctorates. Slovenian students also receive Pregl Recognition Awards. High school students get Pregl Citations for doing very well in national chemistry competitions. A square in Ljubljana is also named after Pregl. The Fritz Pregl Prize has been awarded every year since 1931. The Austrian Academy of Sciences gives this prize in chemistry using money Pregl left for this purpose.
See also
In Spanish: Fritz Pregl para niños
