1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910450719603321

Autore

Lagerkvist Ulf

Titolo

The enigma of ferment [[electronic resource] ] : from the philosopher's stone to the first biochemical Nobel prize / / Ulf Lagerkvist

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Hackensack, NJ, : World Scientific, c2005

ISBN

1-281-88114-7

9786611881146

981-270-092-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (170 p.)

Disciplina

572/.49

Soggetti

Fermentation - History

Yeast

Enzymes

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-158) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Contents; Preface; Introduction; Alchemy and the Dawn of Chemistry; Medicine and Chemistry in the Scienti.c Revolution; A Golden Age of Chemistry; Ferment or Vital Force; A Fortuitous Observation; The Nobel Prize; Bibliography; Index

Sommario/riassunto

This popular account of the history of ferment takes the reader on a fascinating journey from its obscure origins in medieval medicine and alchemy to the modern concept of the enzyme. During the 19th century, the question of the nature of the ferment led to a long and bitter conflict between those that believed in a vital force peculiar to the living cell and those that looked for a more chemical explanation. The book takes an in-depth look at the events of 1897 when Eduard Buchner demonstrated that cell-free extracts of yeast could catalyze alcoholic fermentation, putting an end to "vitalism"