Original sample of asparagine, made by A. Chibnall and M. Damodaran, Imperial College, London, 1932

Original sample of asparagine isolated from a protein (edestin), made by A.C. Chibnall and M. Damodaran, Imperial College, London, 1932

This tube contains a crystalline sample of asparagine, a crucial amino acid involved in nitrogen transport and storage in plants. It was extracted from a protein, Edestin, used in seed storage, by Biochemists Albert Charles Chibnall (1894 –1988) and Manayath Damodaran (1903-1957) at the Biochemistry Department, at Imperial College, London.

Their research centred on understanding how plants process nitrogen, a crucial element for their growth and development, and they pioneered the technique of enzymatic digests to study the compound.