Richard Kuhn
Kuhn, Richard (1900-1967) was an Austrian-born German chemist whose work was primarily the investigation of carotenoids and vitamin synthesis. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1938.
Kuhn received his Ph.D. degree in chemistry from the University of Munich in 1922. His interest as a researcher was understanding how biological systems utilize organic compounds, and he focused his earliest research on carotenoids, the yellow pigments found in plants and vegetables such as yams and squash. Kuhn discovered that carotene, a pigment in carrots, was the precursor to vitamin A production. He detailed the vitamin's structure and synthesized it. This work became a competitive race with Swiss chemist Paul Karrer, who was also researching vitamin synthesis.
In the 1930's, Kuhn began to study the water-soluble B vitamins. He and his colleagues discovered the chemical structure of vitamin B2, or riboflavin. He was the first to synthesize that vitamin and, with other researchers, also discovered the structure and chemical composition of vitamin B6.
These discoveries, and Kuhn's detailing of how vitanyns function generally within living systems, led to his Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1938. However, Adolf Hitler had previously banned any German from accepting the award, and Kuhn at the time had been taken prisoner in a Nazi roundup of Jewish citizens and held in a concentration camp.
Kuhn survived his internment. After World War II (1939-1945) ended, he continued his research, turning his attention to carbohydrates and to understanding how organic substances can aid the body in resisting infection and disease. During his lifetime, he received more than 50 honors and published more than 700 papers. He was able to accept his Nobel Prize medal and certificate in a special ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1949.