Paul Karrer

Biography

Early years

Karrer was born in Moscow, Russia to Paul Karrer and Julie Lerch, both Swiss nationals. In 1892 Karrer's family returned to Switzerland where he was educated at Wildegg and at the Old Cantonal School Aarau where he matriculated in 1908. He studied chemistry at the University of Zurich under Alfred Werner and after gaining his PhD in 1911, he spent a further year as an assistant in the Chemical Institute. He then took a post as a chemist with Paul Ehrlich at the Georg Speyer Haus, Frankfurt-am-Main. In 1919 he became Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Chemical Institute.

Research

Karrer's early research concerned complex metal compounds but his most important work has concerned plant pigments, particularly the yellow carotenoids. He elucidated their chemical structure and showed that some of these substances are transformed in the body into vitamin A. His work led to the establishment of the correct constitutional formula for β-carotene, the chief precursor of vitamin A; the first time that the structure of a vitamin or provitamin had been established. George Wald worked briefly in Karrer's lab while studying the role of vitamin A in the retina. Later, Karrer confirmed the structure of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and extended his researches into the vitamin B₂ and E. His important contributions to the chemistry of the flavins led to the identification of lactoflavin as part of the complex originally thought to be vitamin B₂.

Karrer published many papers and received many honours and awards, including the Nobel Prize in 1937. His textbook Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie (Textbook of Organic Chemistry) was published in 1927, went through thirteen editions, and was published in seven languages.

Personal life

Karrer married Helena Froelich in 1914 and had three sons, one of whom died in infancy. He died on 18 June 1971, at the age of 82 in Zürich. His wife died in 1972.