Leopold Ružička

Leopold Ružička
Ružićka in 1935
Pronunciation
  • Croatian: [lâʋoslaʋ stjêpaːn rǔʒitʃka]
Born
Lavoslav Stjepan Ružička

(1887-09-13)13 September 1887
Died26 September 1976(1976-09-26) (aged 89)
Mammern, Switzerland
Citizenship
Alma materTechnische Hochschule Karlsruhe
Known forResearch on terpenes
Synthesis of testosterone
Ružička reaction
AwardsMarcel Benoist Prize (1938)
Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1939)
ForMemRS (1942)
Faraday Lectureship Prize (1958)
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
InstitutionsETH Zurich, Utrecht University
Thesis Über Phenylmethylketen  (1911)
Doctoral advisorHermann Staudinger
Doctoral studentsGeorge Büchi
Duilio Arigoni
Arie Jan Haagen-Smit
Moses Wolf Goldberg
Klaus H. Hofmann
George Rosenkranz
Cyril A. Grob
Edgar Heilbronner
Albert Eschenmoser

Leopold Ružička ForMemRS (Croatian pronunciation: [rǔʒitʃka]; born Lavoslav Stjepan Ružička; 13 September 1887 – 26 September 1976) was a Croatian-Swiss scientist and joint winner of the 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on polymethylenes and higher terpenes" "including the first chemical synthesis of male sex hormones." He worked most of his life in Switzerland, and received eight doctorates honoris causa in science, medicine, and law; seven prizes and medals; and twenty-four honorary memberships in chemical, biochemical, and other scientific societies.