Hans Gaffron

{{Short description|German-American biochemist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Hans Gaffron

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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1902|5|17}}

| birth_place = Lima, Peru

| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|8|18|1902|5|17}}Rürup, p. 200

| death_place = Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA

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| nationality = German

| occupation = Chemist, Biologist

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| spouse = {{marriage|Clara Ostendorf |1932|1979}}Rürup, p. 94

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Hans Gaffron (May 17, 1902 – August 18, 1979) was a German chemist. He was one of the earlier researchers trying to elucidate the mechanistic and biochemical details of photosynthesis and plant metabolism.Govindjee, p. 119 His most notable finding was the discovery of a process whereby unicellular green algae can produce molecular Hydrogen (H2) in the presence of light, and that the precursors were derived from photosynthetic water-splitting.{{cite web |url=http://www.fotomol.uu.se/Forskning/Biomimetics/solarh/photobio.shtm |title=Solar-H |access-date=2009-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226012033/http://www.fotomol.uu.se/Forskning/Biomimetics/solarh/photobio.shtm |archive-date=2012-02-26 }} Applications based on his work have led to many efforts to develop H2 as a renewable biofuel.{{cite web |url=http://www.fotomol.uu.se/Forskning/Biomimetics/solarh/photobio.shtm |title=Solar-H |access-date=2009-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226012033/http://www.fotomol.uu.se/Forskning/Biomimetics/solarh/photobio.shtm |archive-date=2012-02-26 }}

He was a son of the German physician Eduard Gaffron and his wife Hedwig von Gevekot.Rürup, p. 199