Haworth , Sir (Walter) Norman
- Haworth , Sir (Walter) Norman
(1883–1950) British chemist
Haworth, who was born in Chorley, began work in a linoleum factory managed by his father. This required some knowledge of dyes, which led Haworth to chemistry. Despite his family's objections he persisted in private study until he was sufficiently qualified to gain admission to Manchester University in 1903, where he studied under and later worked with William Perkin, Jr. on terpenes. Haworth did his postgraduate studies at Göttingen where, in 1910, he gained his PhD. In 1912 he joined the staff of St. Andrews University and worked with Thomas Purdie and James Irvine on carbohydrates. He remained there until 1920 when, after five years at the University of Durham, he was appointed Mason Professor of Chemistry at Birmingham, where he remained until his retirement in 1948.
Emil Fischer had dominated late 19th-century organic chemistry and, beginning in 1887, had synthesized a number of sugars taking them to be open-chain structures, most of which were built on a framework of six carbon atoms. Haworth however succeeded in showing that the carbon atoms in sugars are linked by oxygen into rings: either there are five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom, giving a pyranose ring, or there are four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom, giving a furanose ring. When the appropriate oxygen and hydrogen atoms are added to these rings the result is a sugar. He went on to represent the carbohydrate ring by a perspective formula, today known as a Haworth formula.
With Edmund Hirst (1898–1975) he went on to establish the point of closure of the ring using the technique of converting the sugar into its methyl ester. He later investigated the chain structure of various polysaccharides. In 1929 he published his views in The Constitution of the Sugars.
In 1933 Haworth and his colleagues achieved a further triumph. Albert
Szent-Györgyi had earlier isolated a substance from the adrenal cortex and from orange juice which he named hexuranic acid. It was in fact vitamin C and Haworth, again in collaboration with Hirst, succeeded in synthesizing it. He called it ascorbic acid.
For this work, the first synthesis of a vitamin, Haworth shared the 1937 Nobel Prize for chemistry with Paul
Karrer.
Scientists.
Academic.
2011.
Look at other dictionaries:
Haworth,Sir Walter Norman — Haworth, Sir Walter Norman. 1883 1950. British biochemist. He shared a 1937 Nobel Prize for his research on carbohydrates and vitamin C. * * * … Universalium
Walter Norman Haworth — Walter Norman Haworth. Sir Walter Norman Haworth (n. Chorley, Lancashire, 19 de marzo de 1883 – † Barnt Green, Worcestershire, 19 de marzo de 1950) fue un químico y profesor universitario británico galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Química del… … Wikipedia Español
Walter Norman Haworth — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Haworth. Norman Haworth Sir Walter Norman Haworth (le 19 mars 1883 à Chorley, Royaume Uni le 19 mars 1950 à Birmingha … Wikipédia en Français
Sir Walter Norman Haworth — noun English biochemist who was a pioneer in research on carbohydrates; when he synthesized vitamin C he became the first person to synthesize a vitamin artificially (1883 1950) • Syn: ↑Haworth • Instance Hypernyms: ↑biochemist … Useful english dictionary
Walter Norman Haworth — Sir Walter Norman Haworth (n. Chorley, Lancashire, 19 de marzo de 1883 – † Barnt Green, Worcestershire, 19 de marzo de 1950). Químico británico. Decidió asistir a la universidad y estudiar química después de trabajar durante algún tiempo en la… … Enciclopedia Universal
Haworth, Sir Norman — ▪ British chemist in full Sir Walter Norman Haworth born March 19, 1883, Chorley, Lancashire, Eng. died March 19, 1950, Birmingham British chemist, cowinner, with the Swiss chemist Paul Karrer, of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for… … Universalium
Haworth — Sir (Walter) Norman … Scientists
HAWORTH (W. N.) — HAWORTH sir WALTER NORMAN (1883 1950) Chimiste anglais, né à Chorley (Lancashire) et mort à Birmingham, lauréat, avec le Suisse Paul Karrer, du prix Nobel de chimie, en 1937, pour son travail sur la détermination des structures chimiques des… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Norman Haworth — Sir (Walter) Norman Haworth Norman Haworth Born 19 March 1883 Chorley, Lancashire, England … Wikipedia
Chemienobelpreis 1937: Walter Norman Haworth — Paul Karrer — Der Brite und der Schweizer erhielten den Nobelpreis für Chemie für ihre Forschungen über Kohlenhydrate, Carotinoide und Flavine sowie die Vitamine C, A und B2. Biografien Sir (ab 1947) Walter Norman Haworth, * … Universal-Lexikon
