Manfred Eigen
Encyclopedia
Manfred Eigen is a German
biophysical chemist
who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
for work on measuring fast chemical reactions.
in Göttingen
. He is an honorary doctor of the TU Braunschweig. From 1982 to 1993, Eigen was president of the German National Merit Foundation.
In 1967, Eigen was awarded, along with Ronald George Wreyford Norrish
and George Porter
, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
. They were distinguished for their studies of extremely fast chemical reaction
s induced in response to very short pulse
s of energy
.
In addition, Eigen's name is linked with the theory of the chemical hypercycle
, the cyclic linkage of reaction cycles as an explanation for the self organization of prebiotic systems, which he described with Peter Schuster
in 1977. Eigen is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
. He founded two biotechnology companies, Evotec
and Direvo.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
biophysical chemist
Biophysical chemistry
Biophysical chemistry is a relatively new branch of chemistry that covers a broad spectrum of research activities involving biological systems. The most common feature of the research in this subject is to seek explanation of the various phenomena in biological systems in terms of either the...
who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
for work on measuring fast chemical reactions.
Career
He received his PhD at the University of Göttingen and has been former director of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical ChemistryMax Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen is a research institute of the Max Planck Society. Currently, 812 people work at the Institute, 353 of them are scientists....
in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. He is an honorary doctor of the TU Braunschweig. From 1982 to 1993, Eigen was president of the German National Merit Foundation.
In 1967, Eigen was awarded, along with Ronald George Wreyford Norrish
Ronald George Wreyford Norrish
Ronald George Wreyford Norrish was a British chemist. He was born in Cambridge and attended The Perse School. He was a former student of Eric Rideal...
and George Porter
George Porter
George Hornidge Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, OM, FRS was a British chemist.- Life :Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, South Yorkshire. He was educated at Thorne Grammar School, then won a scholarship to the University of Leeds and gained his first degree in chemistry...
, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
. They were distinguished for their studies of extremely fast chemical reaction
Chemical reaction
A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Chemical reactions can be either spontaneous, requiring no input of energy, or non-spontaneous, typically following the input of some type of energy, such as heat, light or electricity...
s induced in response to very short pulse
Pulse (physics)
In physics, a pulse is a single disturbance that moves through a medium from one point to the next point.-Pulse Reflection:Consider a pulse moving through a medium - perhaps through a rope or a slinky. When the pulse reaches the end of that medium, what happens to it depends on whether the medium...
s of energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
.
In addition, Eigen's name is linked with the theory of the chemical hypercycle
Hypercycle (chemistry)
A Hypercycle is a new level of organization whereby self-replicative units are connected in a cyclic, autocatalytic manner. The self-replicative units are themselves catalytic cycles. The Hypercycle is a specific model of the chemical origin of life, pioneered by Eigen and Schuster...
, the cyclic linkage of reaction cycles as an explanation for the self organization of prebiotic systems, which he described with Peter Schuster
Peter Schuster
Peter K. Schuster is a renowned theoretical chemist, known for his work with the German Nobel Laureate Manfred Eigen in developing the quasispecies model...
in 1977. Eigen is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nontechnical online magazine that covers global security and public policy issues, especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction...
. He founded two biotechnology companies, Evotec
Evotec
Evotec AG is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company focused on progressing product approaches with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.The company`s headquarters are located in Hamburg, Germany...
and Direvo.
External links
- Biography of Manfred Eigen
- Manfred Eigen tells his life story at Web of Stories (video)
- Manfred Eigen's homepage at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
- Interview with Manfred Eigen by Harry Kroto, NL Freeview video provided by the Vega Science Trust.
- "Falls ein Gott die Naturgesetze erschuf, so erschuf er auch das Leben durch Evolution" (Ger) Interview with Manfred Eigen from 2004
- debate on theory and proof