\tFritz Pregl
Pregl, Fritz (1869-1930) was an Austrian chemist who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1923 for his invention of the method of microanalyzing organic substances.
Pregl was born on Sept. 3, 1869, in Laibach in Austria (now Ljubljana, Slovenia) to Raimund Pregl, a banker, and Friderike (Schlacker) Pregl. After his father died, Pregl moved with his mother to Graz in 1887. He studied medicine at the University of Graz, where he became assistant lecturer for physiology and histology even before graduating with his M.D. degree in 1893. From 1907 to 1910, he directed the Medico-Chemical Institute in Graz. He became a professor at Innsbruck University in 1910, but he spent most of his life in Graz working with that university.
Pregl focused on physiological chemistry. In particular, he researched organic molecules, which contain chiefly carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. During the early 1900's, his research turned to quantitative organic microanalysis, a means of studying chemicals using extremely small samples of each substance. He sought to improve analytical techniques and could make accurate measurements with samples of only 5 to 13 milligrams of the materials. He also worked to cut the time required for analysis.
Pregl also developed devices for this type of research, such as a sensitive microbalance that could weigh within an accuracy of 0.001 milligram. Working with a glussblower, Pregl also produced very small pieces of equipment that allowed the use of boiling points to determine molecular weights.
Pregl's techniques became highly valuable in the analysis of complex biomedical compounds, and his research greatly advanced the field of biochemistry. His laboratory became a world-famous center for organic microanalysis. In 1917, Pregl published Die Quantitative Organische Mikroanalyse (Quantitative Microanalysis).
Pregl never married. He donated a large amount of money to the Vienna Academy of Sciences to establish a prize for achievements in microchemistry. After a short illness, he died at age 61 on Dec. 13, 1930, in Graz, Austria.