[Illustration: Figure 23.--MELVIN CALVIN (b. 1911) received the Nobel
Prize in Chemistry in 1961 for his research in photosynthesis, in which
he specified the function of phosphoglyceric acid as an intermediate in
the synthesis of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water by green
plants.]
The story of phosphorus, which began 300 years ago, has acquired new
importance in this century. Many scientists have contributed to it: 13
of them have received Nobel Prizes for work directly bearing on the
chemical and biological importance of phosphorus compounds. In
chronological order, they are: Eduard Buchner, Albrecht Kossel, Otto
Meyerhof, Arthur Harden, Hans von Euler-Chelpin, George de Hevesy, Carl
F. Cori, Gerty T. Cori, Fritz Lipmann, Lord Alexander Todd, Arthur
Kornberg, Severo Ochoa, and Melvin Calvin. The developers of industrial
production and commercial utilization of phosphate compounds have had
other rewards.
Some impression of the continuing growth in this field[43] can be gained
from the following data.