Two Americans and a French scientist won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for developing a chemical “dance” that makes molecules swap atoms, a process now used to create medicines, plastics and other products with more efficiency and less environmental hazard.
“What a great day for chemistry,” declared an advocate of environmentally friendly “green chemistry,” Paul Anastas of the American Chemical Society.
The $1.3 million prize will be shared by Robert Grubbs, 63, of the California Institute of Technology; Richard Schrock, 60, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Yves Chauvin, 74, honorary director of research at the Institut Francais du Petrole in Rueil-Malmaison, France.
They explained and improved a process called metathesis, said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in bestowing the prize. This swapping of atoms between molecules creates new substances, and the winners have turned it into one of the most important reactions in organic chemistry, the academy said. Organic chemistry deals with carbon compounds.
“Metathesis reactions are an important tool in the creation of new drugs to fight many of the world’s major diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s and AIDS,” William Carroll president of the American Chemical Society, said. “They also are used to develop herbicides, new polymers and fuels.”
Their work has led to chemical-making methods that are more efficient and generate fewer hazardous wastes – a major advance for “green chemistry,” the academy said.
“Metathesis is an example of how important basic science has been applied for the benefit of man, society and the environment,” the academy said.
Associated Press
Nobel Prize winner Richard Schrock signs a champagne bottle Wednesday in his office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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