Fritz Pregl

Fritz Pregl was born on September 3, 1869, in Laibach (now Ljubljana, Slovenia) in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Studying medicine at the University of Graz, Pregl pursued physiological chemistry, investigating bile acids. Finding that isolating bile constituents yielded mere milligrams of substance—far too little for standard macro-analysis—he resolved to reinvent analytical chemistry.

Pregl redesigned the microbalance to weigh accurately to one-millionth of a gram (one microgram) and miniaturized combustion combustion tubes. His techniques cut required sample sizes by a factor of fifty, transforming biochemistry and steroid hormone research. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and bequeathed his estate to the Graz Academy of Sciences.