Arne Tiselius

Arne Tiselius

Arne Tiselius (10 August 1902 – 29 October 1971) was a Swedish biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1948 for his research on electrophoresis and adsorption analysis, especially for his discoveries concerning the complex nature of the serum proteins.

Early Life and Education

Arne Wilhelm Kaurin Tiselius was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He pursued his higher education at the University of Uppsala, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1930. His doctoral thesis was focused on the electrophoresis of proteins, a technique that would later be central to his Nobel Prize-winning research.

Career and Research

After completing his Ph.D., Tiselius continued his research at the University of Uppsala. He became a professor of biochemistry in 1938, a position he held until his retirement. Tiselius's early work was primarily focused on the separation of proteins through electrophoresis. This method involves the movement of charged particles in a fluid under the influence of an electric field, which allowed Tiselius to separate proteins based on their charge.

His groundbreaking work in this area laid the foundation for the modern techniques of chromatography, which are essential for the separation and analysis of complex mixtures of substances. Tiselius also made significant contributions to the understanding of the adsorption of proteins by silica particles and was one of the first to demonstrate the heterogeneity of serum proteins.

In addition to his Nobel Prize, Tiselius received numerous other awards and honors for his contributions to biochemistry and was a member of several prestigious scientific societies.

Later Life and Legacy

Arne Tiselius remained active in scientific research and education throughout his life. He was deeply involved in the establishment of the International Union of Biochemistry and served as its president from 1957 to 1960. Tiselius passed away in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1971.

His legacy lives on through the Arne Tiselius Symposium, which is held periodically to discuss advances in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. Tiselius's work has had a lasting impact on the scientific community, particularly in the areas of protein chemistry and analytical methods.

See Also

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Electrophoresis
• Chromatography
• Protein chemistry