Richard Kuhn

Richard Johann Kuhn (3 December 1900 – 1 August 1967) was an Austrian-born German biochemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1938 for his work on carotenoids and vitamins. Born in Vienna to a middle-class family, Kuhn studied chemistry under Richard Willstätter and later directed the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research (later Max Planck Institute) in Heidelberg from 1930, where he advanced structural elucidations of compounds like riboflavin (vitamin B2) and pyridoxine (vitamin B6). His research also encompassed enzyme mechanisms and virology, contributing to foundational knowledge in biochemistry despite wartime disruptions. Although initially barred by Nazi decree from accepting his Nobel Prize—a decision tied to the regime's policy against honoring German scientists amid international tensions—Kuhn received the medal and diploma in 1949. During the Nazi era, he was not a party member but supported the regime by dismissing Jewish staff and denouncing colleagues, and in 1943 he was recruited for research on nerve agents like sarin precursors. These activities highlight a pragmatic alignment with authoritarian demands to sustain scientific work, contrasting his pre- and post-war focus on pure research.