Richard Willstätter (1872–1942)

Professor of general chemistry

Richard Willstätter was born in Karlsruhe on 13 August 1872 and died in Muralto (Ticino) on 3 August 1942.

He went to school in Nuremberg and studied chemistry at the University of Munich, where he was appointed as an associate professor of chemistry in 1902. Only three years later, he moved to ETH Zurich, where he held a chair of general chemistry until 1912.

He then continued his research and teaching activities in Berlin and, from 1916, back in Munich.

Interest in biochemistry

From an early stage, Willstätter's main interest was problems of general scientific importance, i.e. vital processes or biochemistry – still a relevant topic to this day. Using – by today's standards – simple methods, he addressed problems that constituted unchartered territory at the time. His research was successful because he planned the experiments clearly and took the view that nature should be researched using gentle, near-natural methods.

Study on chlorophyll and photosynthesis

The fact that he made epochal discoveries in classical organic chemistry and tackled complicated novel problems – such as his studies on chlorophyll, photosynthesis and enzymes – is crucial when taking stock of Willstätter's scientific achievements.

Nobel Prize for Chemistry

In 1915 he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his studies on pigments in the plant kingdom, especially chlorophyll. In 1924 Willstätter resigned and became a freelancer in the chemical industry. In 1939 he fled from the Gestapo to Switzerland, spending the last three years of his life in Locarno.

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