Karl August Folkers (September 1, 1906 – December 7, 1997) was an American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

who made major contributions to the isolation and identification of bioactive

natural product A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical s ...

Career

Folkers graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1928. In 1986, the institution awarded him its Alumni Achievement Award. His career was mainly spent at Merck. He played a prominent role in the isolation of vitamin B₁₂ in 1947, which is one of the most structural complex of the vitamins. As a Merck Pharmaceuticals research team, Folkers, Fern P. Rathe, and Edward Anthony Kaczka were the first to isolate the antibiotic

cathomycin Novobiocin, also known as albamycin, is an aminocoumarin antibiotic that is produced by the actinomycete ''Streptomyces niveus'', which has recently been identified as a subjective synonym for ''S. spheroides'' a member of the class Actinomycet ...

in 1955. His team also isolated the antibiotic

cycloserine Cycloserine, sold under the brand name Seromycin, is a GABA transaminase inhibitor and an antibiotic, used to treat tuberculosis. Specifically it is used, along with other antituberculosis medications, for active drug resistant tuberculosis. ...

. In 1958 his Merck team determined the structure of coenzyme Q₁₀. He later served as director of the Institute of Biomedical Research at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, where he was also Ashbel Smith Professor of Chemistry. In recognition for his scientific contributions, he received the

Perkin Medal The Perkin Medal is an award given annually by the Society of Chemical Industry (American Section) to a scientist residing in America for an "innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development." It is considered the ...

in 1960, the

William H. Nichols Medal The William H. Nichols Medal is awarded annually for original research in chemistry. Nominees must have made a "significant and original contribution in any field of chemistry" during the five years preceding the presentation date. The medallist ...

in 1967, the

Priestley Medal The Priestley Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. Established in 1922, the award is named after Joseph Priestley, one of the discoverers of ...

in 1986, and the

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral science, behavior ...

in 1990.

References

External links

Karl August Folkers
biographical memoir by William Shive 1906 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American biochemists National Medal of Science laureates Vitamin researchers Merck & Co. people University of Texas at Austin faculty University of Illinois alumni {{US-biochemist-stub