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Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Molecule Forming Tool


The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded Wednesday to Benjamin List and David WC MacMillan for their development of a new tool for building molecules, advances in pharmaceutical research and reducing the environmental impact of chemistry.

While his work is not seen by consumers, it is an essential piece in many leading industries and is essential for research.

Chemists are among those tasked with creating molecules that can create elastic and durable materials, store energy in batteries, or prevent the progression of disease.

But this job requires catalysts, which are substances that control and speed up chemical reactions without being part of the final product.

“For example, catalysts in cars convert toxic substances in exhaust fumes into harmless molecules,” the Nobel committee said in a statement. “Our bodies also contain thousands of catalysts in the form of enzymes that cut molecules necessary for life.”

The problem was that only two types of catalysts were available: metals and enzymes.

In 2000, Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan – working independently of each other – have developed a new type of catalysis that reduces waste and provides new ways to build molecules.

It is called asymmetric organocatalysis and is based on small organic molecules.

“This concept of catalysis is as ingenious as it is simple, and the truth is that many people wondered why we hadn’t thought of it before,” said Johan Aqvist, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

Almost everyone on the planet has come across a product that draws on the expertise of a chemist. The process of using catalysts to break down or assemble molecules is crucial in industry and research.

Catalysis is what makes plastic possible; it also enables the manufacture of products such as food flavorings that target the taste buds and perfumes that tickle the nose.

About 35 percent of the world’s gross domestic product includes chemical catalysis.

But until 2000 and the discovery of Nobel laureates, the tools in the hands of chemists were the equivalent of hammers and chisels.

“If we compare nature’s ability to create chemical creations with our own, we are stuck in the Stone Age for a long time,” wrote the Nobel committee.

In nature, enzymes do the job of forming molecular complexes that give life shape, color, and function.

Catalysts previously used by chemists can be divided into two groups: metals or enzymes.

“Metals are generally excellent catalysts because they have a special ability to temporarily place electrons or provide them to other molecules during a chemical process,” the committee wrote. “This helps loosen bonds between atoms in a molecule so that otherwise strong bonds can be broken and new ones formed.”

However, some metal catalysts need to be in an oxygen and moisture-free environment to work, which is difficult to achieve in many large-scale industries. And most such catalysts are heavy metals, which can be harmful to the environment.

In nature, enzymes are used as catalysts with surprising precision. This is the process by which complex and vital molecules such as cholesterol and chlorophyll are formed.

Because enzymes are so efficient, in the 1990s researchers sought to develop enzyme variants as catalysts to drive chemical reactions needed in industry and manufacturing.

However, Dr. List and Dr. The process used prior to the discoveries by MacMillan resulted in a large amount of waste.

“A situation arises during chemical structure where two molecules can form — just like our hands — that are mirror images of each other,” the committee said. “Chemists often want one of these mirror images, especially when producing drugs, but finding effective methods to do this has been difficult.”

Dr. List and Dr. The concept developed by MacMillan – asymmetric organocatalysis – offered a solution. The new process paved the way for creating molecules that can serve a variety of purposes, such as making lightweight running shoes and preventing the progression of disease in the body.

“Why hasn’t anyone come up with this simple, green and cheap concept for asymmetric catalysis before?” wrote the committee. “There are many answers to this question. First, the simple ideas are often the hardest to imagine.”

MacMillan is a Scottish chemist and professor at Princeton University, where he chaired the chemistry department from 2010 to 2015. He received his doctorate degree. He earned a master’s degree in inorganic chemistry from the University of California, Irvine in 1996, before accepting a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. His research has focused on innovative concepts in synthetic organic chemistry.

Dr. List is a German chemist born in Frankfurt and director of the Max Planck Coal Research Institute in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. The research team List Laboratory focuses on “the invention of new strategies for the development of perfect chemical reactions.” According to the institute’s website. his team He posted a video on Twitter After the announcement, he celebrates the Nobel Prize. He received his doctorate degree. In 1997 he was appointed from Goethe University Frankfurt to work as an assistant professor at the Scripps Research Institute in California. He is also an honorary professor at the University of Cologne in Germany.





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