Born Dec. 3, 1900, in Vienna; died July 31, 1967, in Heidelberg. German chemist and biochemist.

Kuhn studied (1919–22) and worked with R. Wilstatter in Munich. He became a professor at the Swiss Technical Higher School and director of the chemical division of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Zurich in 1926. He was appointed professor at the University of Heidelberg and head of the chemistry department of the Max Planck Institute in 1928.

Kuhn determined the structure of and synthesized many natural substances, including about 300 plant pigments. He investigated the connection between the chemical structure of unsaturated compounds and their physical properties (optical, magnetic, and dielectric). Kuhn was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1938 for his research on carotenoids and vitamins.