Lavoslav Ružička

Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička (September 13rd 1887 - September 26th 1976) is a Chimiste, first Croatian prize winner of the Nobel Prize of chemistry.

Ružička was born with Vukovar (then town of Austria-Hungary) in a family from craftsmen and peasants from origins Czech, German and Croatian.

Ružička carries out its studies with Osijek and is intended initially for the priesthood, before deciding to study the Chimie, probably while hoping to find a work in the very new sugar refinery open to Osijek. It is registered then at the technical university of Karlsruhe in Germany. He is a good pupil in the fields which interest it and he thinks that they will be useful for him in the future, and particularly in Organic chemistry. This is why its professor of physical Chimie, Fritz Haber (future Nobel Prize of chemistry in 1918), opposes so that it obtains his diploma with congratulations. On the other hand, it establishes during its studies a profitable collaboration with Hermann Staudinger (future Nobel Prize of chemistry in 1953). It obtains its doctorate in 1910 while studying in the department of Staudinger, then follows this one to Zurich as an assistant. It takes Swiss nationality in 1917.

The first work of Ružička relates to the field of the Chimie natural substances, field of research to which it will devote all its career. He studies the composition of the powder of insect of Dalmatie (Pyrethrum cinereriifolium), a Insecticide very considered origin vegetable. For this purpose, he studies the chemistry of the Terpène S resulting from scented oils of vegetable origin, which interests the industry of the Parfumerie. He begins his research tasks individually, then initiates a profitable collaboration with the company Co Company of Geneva.

In 1916 -1917, it receives the support of the oldest company of perfumery of the world, Haarman & Reimer , of Holzminden in Germany. Because of its expertise in the field of terpenes, it obtains a post of lecturer in 1918, and 1923 of professor to the federal Polytechnic school of Zurich like to the Université of Zurich. It is there with the assistance of a group of students in doctorate that it determines the existence and the chemical structure of the odoriferous compounds of animal origin, musk and chive.

In 1921, the Swiss company of perfumery Chuit, Naef & Firmenich proposes a collaboration to him which it accepts. However, its financial means not being sufficient, it leaves the company to work in Zurich for Ciba. In 1927, it obtains the pulpit of Organic chemistry of the Université of Utrecht to the Netherlands. There remain three years there before returning in Suisse where chemical industry is more powerful.

Of return in Switzerland, he becomes professor of Organic chemistry at the federal Polytechnic school of Zurich, where he begins the most brilliant part of his scientific career. He extends the field of his research, by adding to the chemistry of terpenes that of the Stéroïde S. Following the successful synthesis of the sex hormones (Androstérone and Testostérone), his laboratory becomes the center of the Organic chemistry world.

In 1939, it jointly receives the Nobel Prize of chemistry with Adolf Butenandt for its work on terpenes. Following this distinction, it is invited in 1940 by the Croatian Association of chemistry for a conference in front of dignitaries. The subject of its conference is Since the powder of insect of Dalmatie until the sex hormones . During the Second world war, it loses part of his collaborators, and restructures his laboratory with new young and promising researchers, among whom Vladimir Prelog, future Nobel Prize of chemistry in 1975. With the assistance of his new collaborators, it extends once again the field of its research.

After 1950, Ružička is interested in new aspects of chemistry. Its new work relates to the Biochimie, the problem of the evolution and the appearance of the life, and particularly the Biogenèse of terpenes. He proposes an assumption entitled rule of the biogenetic Isoprène , which constitutes the apogee of its scientific career. He is prize winner of the Faraday Lectureship of the Royal society off chemistry in 1956. In 1957, Ružička takes its retraire and leaves the direction of its laboratory with Vladimir Prelog.

Ružička devoted many efforts to the problem of teaching. He insisted on a better organization of teaching and academic research in the news Yugoslavia, and created the Société Switzerland-Yugoslavia. Ružička was academician member of the Académie of arts and sciences of Yugoslavia to Zagreb. In Switzerland, the Price Ružička, decreed with young chemists working in Switzerland, was created in its honor. In its birthplace of Vukovar, a museum was open in its honor in 1977, but was destroyed by the Serb army in 1991 during the war of Balkans.

External bond

Biography on the site of the foundation Nobel

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