Anselme Payen
A French chemist who isolated cellulose and discovered the first enzyme, diastase, revealing the chemical architecture of life.
1795–1871 (age 76)·French chemist·Birthday: January 6
Biography
Born in Paris at the close of the 18th century, Anselme Payen was a practical chemist who moved between the worlds of industry and fundamental science. He managed his family's borax refinery and a beet sugar factory, where his sharp observational skills led to profound discoveries. In 1833, while studying how malt converted starch to sugar, he successfully isolated and named 'diastase', the first enzyme ever identified. This work established the very concept of biological catalysts. A few years later, he turned his attention to plant matter, treating wood with acids and alkalis to isolate a resistant fibrous substance he termed 'cellulose'. This identification of the world's most abundant organic polymer laid the structural foundation for organic chemistry and countless modern materials. Payen's legacy is that of a quiet pioneer who mapped the molecular building blocks of the natural world from his industrial laboratory.
#1 When Anselme Was Born
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Anselme's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1795Born
1800Started school
1808Became a teenager
1811Could drive
1813Could vote
1816Turned 21
1825Turned 30
1835Turned 40
1845Turned 50
1855Turned 60
1865Turned 70
President: Andrew Johnson
1871Died at 76
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Key Achievements
- Discovered and named the enzyme diastase in 1833, the first enzyme ever identified.
- Isolated and named the carbohydrate cellulose, defining the primary structural component of plants.
- Authored the influential 'Précis de chimie industrielle', a foundational text in chemical engineering.
- Served as a professor of industrial and agricultural chemistry at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers.
Did You Know?
He was awarded the prestigious Jecker Prize by the French Academy of Sciences for his work on diastase.
Payen also developed improved methods for refining borax and producing beet sugar.
The Payen Award, given by the American Chemical Society's Cellulose and Renewable Materials division, is named in his honor.
“I isolated cellulose from wood; it is the skeletal substance of plants.”
