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Arne Wilhelm Kaurin Tiselius
(1902-1971)
Swedish chemist who developed a powerful method of chemical analysis
known as electrophoresis. He applied his new techniques to the analysis
of animal proteins. Nobel prize 1948.
Tiselius was born in Stockholm and studied at Uppsala, where he spent
his career. From 1938 he was director of the Institute of Biochemistry.
Working at Princeton in the USA 1934-35, Tiselius investigated zeolite
minerals, which have a unique capacity to exchange their water of crystallization
for other substances, the crystal structure remaining intact even after
the water has been removed under vacuum. He studied the optical changes
that occur when the dried crystals are rehydrated.
Tiselius first used electrophoresis in the 1920s. In the 1930s he separated
the proteins in horse serum and revealed for the first time the existence
of three components which he named -, -, and -globulin. Later he developed
new techniques in chromatography.
Tiselius founded the Nobel Symposia, which take place every year in
each of the five prize fields to discuss the social, ethical, and other
implications of the award-winning work.
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