# Emil Fischer

_German chemist (1852–1919)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/emil-fischer
Last updated: 2026-10-07

> Hermann Emil Louis Fischer was a German chemist and 1902 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He discovered the Fischer esterification. He also developed the Fischer projection, a symbolic way of drawing asymmetric carbon atoms. He also hypothesized the lock and key mechanism of enzyme action. He never used his first given name, and was known throughout his life simply as Emil Fischer.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 9 October 1852 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Euskirchen ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P19))
- **Died:** 15 July 1919 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P570))
- **Place of death:** Berlin ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P20))
- **Citizenship:** German Empire; Germany ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; chemist; university teacher; organic chemist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P106))
- **Education:** University of Bonn; University of Strasbourg ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P69))
- **Spouse:** Agnes Gerlach ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P26))
- **Awards:** Faraday Lectureship Prize; Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Elliott Cresson Medal; Helmholtz Medal; Cothenius Medal; Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art; Davy Medal; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; Baly Medal; honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554#P166))

## Questions

**When was Emil Fischer born?**  
Emil Fischer was born on 9 October 1852 in Euskirchen.

**Where did Emil Fischer study?**  
Emil Fischer was educated at University of Bonn, University of Strasbourg.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Emil Fischer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Fischer) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): एमिल फिशर](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2_%E0%A4%AB%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%B0) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q70554](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70554) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Hermann Emil Fischer. Photograph by Atelier Victoria, 1895. Wellcome V0027668 (cropped).jpg (CC BY 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hermann_Emil_Fischer._Photograph_by_Atelier_Victoria,_1895._Wellcome_V0027668_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Emil Fischer, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Hermann Emil Fischer. Photograph by Atelier Victoria, 1895. Wellcome V0027668 (cropped).jpg, CC BY 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Emil Fischer". DigiNepal. Last updated 7 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/emil-fischer. Retrieved 4 November 2026.