Heinrich O. Wieland

Heinrich O. Wieland (1877-1957), German chemist and Nobel laureate. Wieland conducted extensive research on bile acids, which advanced the understanding of the structure of cholesterol and bile. Wieland was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1927 for his work on bile acids.

Born in Pforzheim, Germany, Wieland studied chemistry at the University of Munich, the University of Berlin, and at the Technische Hochschule at Stuttgart and received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry in 1901 from the University of Munich. Wieland's studies were interrupted by World War I (1914-1918) when he conducted chemical warfare research at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute in Berlin. He also served as editor of the chemical journal, Annalen der Chemie, for more than 20 years. Wieland retired from the University of Munich in 1950, after almost 50 years there, interspersed with appointments with other institutions.

Wieland's primary contribution to chemistry involved the structure of bile acids, which are formed in the liver by the metabolism of cholesterol. Beginning in 1912 and continuing for the next 20 years, he and his collaborators attempted to decode the complicated structure of cholic acid and other bile acids related to cholesterol by subjecting specific portions of the acid molecule to oxidation.

After Wieland won the Nobel Prize in 1927, he and his coworkers tried and failed to complete the cholic acid structure as it was generally accepted at the time. However, the use of new X-ray techniques illuminated the true structure of cholic acid. Wieland continued his research on bile acids until his retirement in 1950.