Virtanen, << VIHR tah nehn, >> Artturi Ilmari (1895- 1973), a Finnish biochemist, won the 1945 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his researches and inventions in agricultural and nutritive chemistry. He discovered the AIV method, named from his initials, of preserving green fodder in storage. In this method, acids that prevent the deteriorating process are added to stored fodder. Virtanen showed that artificially acidified fodder has no harmful effect on cattle or milk. He also studied the utilization of nitrogen by plants.
Virtanen was born in Helsinki, Finland, on Jan. 15, 1895. He studied chemistry at the University of Helsinki, where he received a Ph.D. in 1918. He held several positions in industry and taught at the Helsinki University of Technology and the University of Helsinki. Virtanen died on Nov. 11, 1973.
