53: Beads on a String

This episode discusses the mid-20th-century discovery of the structure of proteins. We discuss Mikhail Tsvet's invention of chromatography and Frederick Sanger's revealing of the specific sequence of amino acids in proteins. Then we hear of Vincent du Vigneaud's synthesis of oxytocin and vasopressin, both small proteins. Max Perutz's work on adding heavy metals to proteins to get x ray diffraction helped scientists figure out protein structures. John Kendrew then used a digital computer to extract a structure from an x ray diffraction image. Finally we learn about Christian Anfinsen's work on protein folding and thermodynamics of folding.Support the Show. Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at steve@historyofchem.com Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook