Vladimir Prelog

Vladimir Prelog (July 23 1906 - January 7 1998) was a renowned chemist from Croatia who worked in Prague, Zagreb and Zurich and who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1975.

Work in Zurich

In 1941, he accepted the invitation of Lavoslav Ru?i?ka and left for Zurich, Switzerland, to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH - Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule). He was promoted, starting as private senior lecturer and ending up becoming professor.

Related Topics:
1941 - Lavoslav Ru?i?ka - Zurich - Switzerland - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Professor

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After Ru?i?ka's retirement in 1957, Prelog took over the organic chemistry laboratory where he expanded its activity to unusual areas: heterocyclic compounds, alkaloids, alicyclic compounds, and the isolation and study of biochemically active compounds found in smaller quantities in animal organisms. He also studied the structure of antibiotics and the stereochemistry of enzyme reactions.

Related Topics:
1957 - Heterocyclic compound - Alicyclic compound - Antibiotic - Stereochemistry - Enzyme

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His research has contributed to the explanation of the structure of steroids, triterpene, quinine, strychnine, solanine and other alkaloids introducing so-called Prelog's regulation, which defines the conformational relations between reactants and products. Working with Robert Cahn and Christopher Ingold, he formulated the so-called CIP system, applied generally in stereometry.

Related Topics:
Steroid - Triterpene - Strychnine - Solanine - Conformation - Robert Cahn - Christopher Ingold - CIP system - Stereometry

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Thanks to him and Ru?i?ka, both Nobel prize winners from Croatia, Zurich has become one of the most significant centers of modern organic chemistry.

Related Topics:
Croatia - Organic chemistry

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