Siegel, J S (2009). 50 years of the Paul Karrer gold medal: 1959-2009. CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 63(9):545-550. Postprint available at: http://www.zora.uzh.ch University of Zurich Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich. Zurich Open Repository and Archive http://www.zora.uzh.ch Originally published at: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry 2009, 63(9):545-550. Winterthurerstr. 190 CH-8057 Zurich http://www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2009 50 years of the Paul Karrer gold medal: 1959-2009 Siegel, J S Siegel, J S (2009). 50 years of the Paul Karrer gold medal: 1959-2009. CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 63(9):545-550. Postprint available at: http://www.zora.uzh.ch Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich. http://www.zora.uzh.ch Originally published at: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry 2009, 63(9):545-550. 50 years of the Paul Karrer gold medal: 1959-2009 Abstract Founded on the occasion of Paul Karrer's 70th Birthday, the Paul Karrer Medal in Gold celebrates its 50th anniversary having recognized the outstanding science of 34 molecular scientists. ASPECTS OF CHEMISTRY AT UZH FROM WERNER TO THE PRESENT DAY CHIMIA 2009, 63, No. 9 545 doi:10.2533/chimia.2009.545 Chimia 63 (2009) 545–550 © Schweizerische Chemische Gesellschaft 50 Years of the Paul Karrer Gold Medal: 1959–2009 Jay S. Siegel* Abstract: Founded on the occasion of Paul Karrer’s 70th Birthday, the Paul Karrer Medal in Gold celebrates its 50th anniversary having recognized the outstanding science of 34 molecular scientists. Keywords: Karrer, P. · Paul Karrer Gold Medal Introduction plishments improve our overall standard of living through a number of derived appli- The first Paul Karrer Lecture took place cations to help solve technologically relat- on the occasion of the public celebration ed social problems. However, equally im- of Paul Karrer’s 70th birthday, 25th April, portant is that recognition of excellence in 1959, in the Auditorium of the University research and scholarship raises the bar on of Zurich. The guest speaker and first re- intellectual discourse in society, and there- cipient of the Paul Karrer Medal was Ar- by enriches our daily lives. Paraphrasing thur Stoll, a congenial colleague of Paul UZH alumnus, Albert Einstein, the level of Karrer. Both had returned to Switzerland intellect needed to solve a problem must from prestigious German research insti- be higher than that needed to create it. All tutions in 1917 in order to continue their the more important then that we preserve illustrious careers in Switzerland: Paul and support institutions, such as awards of Karrer as a professor at the University of excellence, that strive to identify pioneers Zurich, and Arthur Stoll as the director of in science and technology. pharmaceutical and chemical research at Paul Karrer lived the ideal that the Sandoz AG in Basel. Karrer and Stoll both award bearing his name represents. Born died in 1971. to Swiss parents in Moscow, he returned Between the first Karrer lecture and to- to Zurich at a young age. An accomplished day, there have been fifty years of exciting Kantonsschüler (high school student) in and pioneering developments in the field Aargau, he entered UZH in 1911 and stud- of organic chemistry and the thereby in- ied chemistry with Alfred Werner. During fluenced related fields, such as molecular that time he almost gave up his studies due biology and structural biochemistry. Evi- to financial problems in the family, initi- dence of these developments is document- ated by an unexpected departure of his ed by the lectures of the recipients of the father. Paul Karrer Medal who were chosen over Karrer’s passion for a broad spectrum the course of these fifty years. Among the of natural science and its application to recipients are ten Nobel Prize winners for Paul Karrer Gold Medal societal problems led him into medicine chemistry and for medicine, and they have and natural product chemistry, where he represented numerous important research could study botany through the chemical institutions of Europe and the USA. American Chemical Society today, barely substances that each plant produced as In 1959, prizes in chemistry were not a dozen have a longer history in recogniz- colorants or other secondary metabolites. so abundant as they are today. Of the over ing achievements in chemical research than He recognized early on the importance of 60 National ACS awards boasted by the the Karrer Medal. Among those, the pres- physics and physical chemistry to the deter- tigious Roger Adams Award was founded mination of the structure of matter, and that the same year as the Karrer medal. structure determines function physically as Internationally, the Nobel Prize, found- well as physiologically; this is a broader ed in 1901, is the signal award across aca- corollary of his post-doctoral mentor, Paul demic disciplines. Comparable traditional Ehrlich’s theory of medicinal magic bul- awards for chemistry include the New York lets, in which molecules of defined struc- ACS regional Nichols Medal (1902) and ture would treat disease selectively. the national ACS Priestley Medal (1922) These broad interests appear also in *Correspondence: Prof. Dr. J. S. Siegel Karrer’s text book on organic chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry Prestigious awards of historical impor- University of Zurich tance, like the Karrer Medal, have served which from 1929 and throughout its 13 Winterthurerstrasse 190 an important role over the years not only to revisions, maintained a selection of appen- CH-8006 Zurich recognize carrier achievements, but also to dices that connected the chemical theory of Tel.: +41 44 635 4281 Fax: +41 44 635 6888 promote chemistry by highlighting publi- the main text to statistical and demographi- E-mail: [email protected] cally advances in research. These accom- cal issues, such as industrial chemical pro- 546 CHIMIA 2009, 63, No. 9 ASPECTS OF CHEMISTRY AT UZH FROM WERNER TO THE PRESENT DAY duction or societal dependent consumption France, Israel, Italy, and the Netherlands, medal for his former UZH colleague turned of alcohol. Thus, a connection between each once. ETH Professor, Gerold Schwarzenbach. intellectual advances in science and an in- A broad spectrum of institutions have Medicine and medicinal chemistry were creased social economy was forged. served as homes to Karrer medalists. The extremely important areas to Paul Karrer. Karrer’s fundamental research in vita- favorite is none other than our sister insti- He often mused that he had wished to be a mins further connected nature, chemistry, tution ETH Zürich, with five previous re- medical doctor if not that the need to find a and human health, while creating an enor- cipients, most recently Albert Eschenmoser job so quickly had driven him into chemis- mous prosperity for Switzerland through in 2008 as the special UZH 175th Jubilee try. His two sons Heinz and Jürg both took its chemical, pharmaceutical and food sci- Awardee. Next comes a triumvirate of aca- up this dream and passed it on to grandson ence industries. Karrer noted in his speech demia: Caltech, Cambridge, and Harvard Peter Karrer who practices medicine today. as Rektor (President) of UZH in 1950 the each having three. Munich has had two, and The medical applications of chemical re- good fortune of the Swiss (specifically Zur- the rest are spread over numerous illustrious search, such as those in biochemistry and ich) people to have such great institutions of halls of higher learning. clinical chemistry play a center role in no higher learning and research in the sciences, The topics of research have spanned the less than a dozen Karrer medal awards. Kar- and how directly the quality of life enjoyed broad spectrum of chemistry, with a focus rer strongly believed that chemistry had a by every citizen is connected to their sup- on topics that Paul Karrer himself pursued place in basic medical sciences and in the port of excellence in such institutions. or considered interesting. The most favored finding of active and selective medicinal The need not only to do great research, areas have been synthetic chemistry (9), agents for treating disease. It is evident from but to recognize and foster that research, vitamins (8), natural products (5), biosyn- Karrer’s early letters to Paul Ehrlich asking was dearly important to Karrer. Perhaps thesis (4), nucleic acids (4), hormones (4), initially about the biological testing of ar- influenced by his own personal situation metal complex/coordination chemistry (4), senic compounds and later inquiring for a as a student, Karrer founded in 1933, to- analytical methods (3), oxidation studies position, that Karrer brought his passion gether with Swiss Industry, the Stiftung f. (2), separation science (2), and stereochem- for biologically and medicinally relevant Stipendien a. d. Gebiet Chemie (Fund for istry (2). chemistry to Ehrlich’s labs where they were Stipends in the area of Chemistry). This Ten of the recipients have also won honed to a fine edge. fund predates the Swiss National Science Nobel Prizes: Tiselius, Todd, Ochoa, Theo- After 50 years, the Karrer medal has Foundation by decades, and has provided rell, Wald, Wittig, Prelog, Corey, Zewail, earned a reputation as an international money for young chemists to devote them- Grubbs. George Wald is an especially wor- award that recognizes great achievements selves to the study of chemistry without thy highlight in that he was an American in science centered about organic chem- worry about financial pressures that often trained in Karrer’s lab, who discovered the istry. Through these awards it has shown drive intelligent but underprivileged stu- carotinoids with Karrer, before going on in the central nature of organic chemistry to dents away from study and into labor.