Tadeusz Reichstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tadeusz Reichstein
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| Born | July 20, 1897 Włocławek, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
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| Died | 1 August 1996 (aged 99) |
| Nationality | Polish, Swiss |
| Citizenship | Poland, Switzerland |
| Known for | cortisone |
| Spouse(s) | Henriette Louise Quarles van Ufford (m. 1927; 1 child) |
| Awards | Marcel Benoist Prize (1947) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1950) Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh (1951) Centenary Prize (1952) Copley Medal (1968) |
Tadeusz Reichstein (born July 20, 1897 – died August 1, 1996) was a famous Polish-Swiss chemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1950. He received this award for his important work on isolating a medicine called cortisone.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tadeusz Reichstein was born in a town called Włocławek in what was then the Russian Empire. His parents were Gastawa and Izydor Reichstein. He spent his early childhood in Kiev, where his father worked as an engineer.
He started school at a boarding school in Jena, Germany. When he was 8 years old, his family moved to Basel, Switzerland. This is where he would later do much of his important scientific work.
A Career in Chemistry
Tadeusz Reichstein studied chemistry with a famous scientist named Hermann Staudinger. This was at the Technical University of Karlsruhe. There, he also met another future scientist, Leopold Ruzicka.
Creating Vitamin C
In 1933, while working in Zürich, Switzerland, Reichstein made a huge discovery. He successfully created vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) in a lab. He did this on his own, at the same time as other scientists in the United Kingdom. His method for making vitamin C is still called the Reichstein process today.
In 1937, he became a professor at the ETH Zurich, a well-known science university.
Discovering Cortisone
Later in 1937, Reichstein moved to the University of Basel. He became a professor there, first teaching pharmaceutical chemistry, then organic chemistry. He worked at the university until he retired in 1967.
In 1950, Reichstein, along with two other scientists, Edward Calvin Kendall and Philip Showalter Hench, won the Nobel Prize. They received this award for their work on hormones found in the adrenal cortex. This research led to the isolation of cortisone, a very important medicine. Cortisone is used to treat many conditions, like inflammation and allergies.
Studying Plants
In his later years, Reichstein became very interested in plants. He studied the chemistry of ferns and how their cells work. He wrote many scientific papers about ferns, especially how their chromosomes help us understand their history and how they developed. He also continued to study the chemical parts of plants.
Later Years and Legacy
Tadeusz Reichstein lived to be 99 years old and passed away in Basel, Switzerland. The way he created vitamin C in the lab, the Reichstein process, is still used in industry. For a time, he was the oldest living Nobel Prize winner.
See also
In Spanish: Tadeus Reichstein para niños
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
- List of Polish Nobel laureates
