沃尔特·诺曼·霍沃思:碳水化合物和维生素C研究的开拓者

Walter Norman Haworth:A Pioneer in Carbohydrate and Vitamin C Research

沃尔特·诺曼·霍沃思是英国首位荣膺诺贝尔化学奖(1937年)的有机化学家,在碳水化合物和维生素C研究方面取得了开拓性成就,对碳水化合物化学产生了深远影响。他除阐明了单糖、双糖、多糖等碳水化合物的基本分子结构之外,还发现了可以更准确地表达各类糖分子的环状结构式,即“霍沃思结构式”。在阿尔伯特·圣吉尔吉成功提取维生素C的基础上,霍沃思及其合作者分析出了维生素C的分子式C6H8O6,并率先合成了维生素C。擅于多种科学思维、具备高超的化学分析能力和化学方法创新能力及卓越的领导和合作才能,且能将3者有机地结合起来,是霍沃思在科学上取得巨大成功的关键因素。

Walter Norman Haworth was the first British organic chemist to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry(1937)for his pioneering work on carbohydrates and vitamin C,which had a profound impact on carbohydrate chemistry.In addition to elucidating the basic molecular structure of carbohydrates such as monosaccharides,disaccharides and polysaccharides,he also found a ring structure formula which can express all kinds of sugar molecules more accurately,namely the famous“Haworth projection”.On the basis of Albert Szent-Györgyis success in extracting vitamin C,Haworth and his collaborators analyzed its molecular formula,C6H8O6,and pioneered the synthesis of vitamin C.Good at a variety of scientific thinking,excellent chemical analysis ability and chemical method innovation ability,excellent leadership and cooperation ability,and the ability to organically combine the three are the key factors of Haworth’s great scientific success.