Maximilian Nierenstein (also known as Moses Max Nierenstein or Max Nierenstein; 1877–1946) was a professor of
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
.
He is known for the
Nierenstein reaction
The Nierenstein reaction is an organic reaction describing the conversion of an acid chloride into a haloketone with diazomethane. It is an insertion reaction in that the methylene group from the diazomethane is inserted into the carbon-chlorine b ...
, an organic reaction describing the conversion of an acid chloride into an haloketone with diazomethane.
In 1912, Polish biochemist
Casimir Funk
Kazimierz Funk (; February 23, 1884 – November 19, 1967), commonly anglicized as Casimir Funk, was a Polish-American biochemist generally credited with being among the first to formulate (in 1912) the concept of vitamins, which he called "vit ...
isolated a complex of micronutrients and proposed the complex be named "
vitamin
A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...
e" (a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
He also studied
natural phenol
In biochemistry, naturally occurring phenols are natural products containing at least one phenol functional group. Phenolic compounds are produced by plants and microorganisms. Organisms sometimes synthesize phenolic compounds in response to ecol ...
s and
tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...
s found in different plant species. He showed in 1945 that luteic acid, a molecule present in the myrobalanitannin, a tannin found in the fruit of ''
Terminalia chebula
''Terminalia chebula'', commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of '' Terminalia'', native to South Asia from India and Nepal east to southwest China ( Yunnan), and south to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Vietnam.Flora of Ch ...
'', is an intermediary compound in the synthesis of
ellagic acid
Ellagic acid is a polyphenol found in numerous fruits and vegetables. It is the dilactone of hexahydroxydiphenic acid.
Name
The name comes from the French term ''acide ellagique'', from the word ''galle'' spelled backwards because it can be ...
. Working with
Arthur George Perkin
Arthur George Perkin DSc FRS FRSE (1861–1937) was an English chemist and Professor of Colour Chemistry and Dyeing at the University of Leeds.
Life
Perkin was the second son of Sir William Henry Perkin FRS, who founded the aniline dye indu ...
, he prepared
ellagic acid
Ellagic acid is a polyphenol found in numerous fruits and vegetables. It is the dilactone of hexahydroxydiphenic acid.
Name
The name comes from the French term ''acide ellagique'', from the word ''galle'' spelled backwards because it can be ...
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
s in 1905. He suggested its formation from galloyl-
glycine
Glycine (symbol Gly or G; ) is an amino acid that has a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. It is the simplest stable amino acid ( carbamic acid is unstable), with the chemical formula NH2‐ CH2‐ COOH. Glycine is one of the proteinog ...
by ''
Penicillium
''Penicillium'' () is a genus of ascomycetous fungi that is part of the mycobiome of many species and is of major importance in the natural environment, in food spoilage, and in food and drug production.
Some members of the genus produce pe ...
'' in 1915. Tannase is an enzyme that Niederstein used to produce m-
digallic acid
Digallic acid is a polyphenolic compound found in ''Pistacia lentiscus''. Digallic acid is also present in the molecule of tannic acid. Digalloyl esters involve either ''-meta'' or ''-para'' depside bonds.
Tannase is an enzyme that uses digalla ...
catechin
Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids.
The name of the catechin chemical family derives from ''catechu'', which is the tanni ...
in
cocoa bean
The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully Fermentation, fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of non ...
s in 1931.
He also worked on milk and
caseinogen
Casein ( , from Latin ''caseus'' "cheese") is a family of related phosphoproteins ( αS1, aS2, β, κ) that are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising about 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 60% of the proteins in human ...
. He reviewed the discovery of
lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix ' ...