1906-1998

Bosnian-born Swiss chemist best known for his work on the stereochemistry of organic molecules and reactions, for which he shared the 1975 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Prelog studied and worked in Bosnia and Croatia until forced to leave by the German invasion during World War II. Escaping to Switzerland with his wife, Prelog continued his research, earning Swiss citizenship in 1959. Prelog eventually became director of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.