Arthur Harden Biography

Sir Arthur Harden was a famous English biochemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1929 for his work on the fermentation of sugar and the fermentative enzyme actions. The problem of the chemistry of yeast cell had always greatly intrigued him. His prior study of the action of light on mixtures of carbon dioxide and chlorine helped him apply these methods to the examination of the chemical action of bacteria and alcoholic fermentation. Harden studied the chemistry of the fermentation of sugar by yeast juice for over 20 years. This included the confirmation of Carl Neuberg’s discovery of carboxylase in yeast and the investigation of peroxidase and invertase. He also examined the role of inorganic salts in fermentation. This expanded the knowledge of intermediary metabolic processes and created a foundation for many biologists in similar fields. Harden also published papers on the antiscorbutic and antineuritic vitamins and their presence in food and drinks. He established the synthesis of the antiberiberi factor by yeast and by removing sugars, organic acids, and proteins from lemon juice, he prepared a concentrate with enhanced antiscorbutic activity that could treat infant scurvy. Throughout his career, he wrote and edited many chemistry textbooks. He also collaborated with Sir H. E. Roscoe in a study of Dalton’s notebooks.