Haworth, Walter Norman

Born Mar. 19, 1883, in Chorley; died Mar. 19, 1950, in Birmingham. British organic chemist and biochemist. Fellow of the Royal Society of London (1928).

Haworth received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Göt-tingen in 1910 and a doctorate in the sciences from the University of Manchester in 1911. Beginning in 1912, he was a professor at the University of St. Andrews, and beginning in 1920, at Armstrong College in Newcastle. From 1925 to 1948 he was a professor at the University of Birmingham.

Haworth’s principal works dealt with the chemistry of carbohydrates. Haworth determined the structures and studied the properties of many sugars, including maltose, lactose, starch, and cellulose. He perfected the nomenclature of sugars. He was one of the first (1933) to synthesize ascorbic acid (vitamin C). He also coined the term “conformation.” During World War II, he was involved in research connected with the uses of atomic energy.

Haworth was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1937, together with P. Karrer.