Fritz Lipmann (1899-1986) was one of the leading architects of the golden age of biochemistry.

With his landmark paper, "Metabolic Generation and Utilization of Phosphate Bond Energy," published in 1941, Fritz Lipmann laid the foundation for biochemical research over the next three decades, clearly defining such concepts as group potential and the role of group transfer in biosynthesis. Most biochemists clearly recognized that Lipmann had revealed the basis for the relationship between metabolic energy production and its use, providing the first coherent picture of how living organisms operate. His discovery in 1945 of coenzyme A (CoA), which occurs in all living cells and is a key element in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and some amino acids, earned him the 1953 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Lipmann also conducted groundbreaking research in protein synthesis. He was an instinctual researcher with a knack for seeing the broader picture. Lacking the talent...