Interpretation of Organic Spectra

Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, Richard Ernst developed an enthusiasm for chemistry by the age of 14, encouraged by his father who was a professor of architecture at the Winterthur Technical School. Ernst's pioneering research has led to the greater effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a diagnostic tool in medicine. MRI is especially useful in studying the brain and other tissues that may be injured or destroyed by harmful x-rays or exploratory surgery. For his accomplishments, Ernst received the 1991 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Ernst attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, earning a B.S. in chemistry (1956) and a Ph. D in physical chemistry (1962). The Institute awarded him the Silver Medal for his doctoral thesis on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In 1966, Ernst introduced Fourier-transform nuclear magnetic resonance, a process that took only a fraction of the time of older methods used since the 1940s.

Since 1968, Ernst has taught physical chemistry at the Institute and served on its Research Council. During this period, he has amassed 15 patents related to MRI technology.

In addition to receiving the 1991 Nobel Prize, Ernst has been awarded the Benoist Prize by Switzerland (1986), the John Gamble Kirkwood Medal by Yale University (1989), the Ampere Prize (1990), and the Horwitz Prize by Columbia University (1991). In 1989, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Munich Technical School.

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