Hevesy

Hevesy is a surname. The most prominent bearer is George de Hevesy (1885–1966), a Hungarian-born chemist who became a naturalized British subject. Hevesy is best known for pioneering the use of radioactive isotopes as tracers in chemical reactions, a method that allowed scientists to follow the movement of elements in complex processes. This tracer technique laid foundational work in radiochemistry and greatly influenced chemistry, biology, and medicine. He studied at the University of Budapest and pursued further work at European laboratories, including the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, where he conducted influential research before and during the early years of his career. With the rise of Nazism and persecution of Jews, he fled Europe and continued his work in Sweden, later taking British citizenship.

In 1943, Hevesy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on tracer techniques using radioactive isotopes. He is also noted for a wartime anecdote in which he dissolved Nobel Prize medals in aqua regia to prevent their seizure by the Nazis; the medals were later recovered after the war. His scientific contributions advanced the use of isotopes to study chemical and biological systems, and he remained active in research and education for decades. The surname Hevesy is most closely associated with George de Hevesy, whose work helped establish modern radiochemistry.