Nobel Peace Prize
By: Soham Patel and Chris Mei
Recipients of this Year's Prize
Jean Pierre Sauvage
- Birth Date and Place: Oct 1, 1944 in Paris, France
- College: University of Strasbourg
- Studies Coordination and supra-molecular Chemistry
- Place of work when awarded: University of Strasbourg
- Fun Fact: Reinvigorated Topological Chemistry
Sir J Fraser Stoddart
- Birth Date and Place: May 24th, 1942 in Edinburg, UK
- College: University of Edinburgh
- Studies Supramolecular Chemistry
- Place of work when awarded: Northwestern University (U.S)
- Fun Fact: Grew up on a farm with no electricity
Bernard Feringa
- Birth Date and Place: May 18th, 1951 in Burger, Conpascuum
- College: University of Groningen
- Studies Nanotechnology and Organic Chemistry
- Place of work when awarded: University of Groningen
- Fun Fact: Grew up on a farm with ten siblings
What did They do?
Jean Pierre Sauvage
- Used a copper ion to attract both molecules to allow interlinking. Removed after both molecules were linked.
- Interlinked molecules are the "gears" and were the first step of a molecular machine.
Fraser Stoddart
- This allows the gear to rotate around the axle, completing the second step towards molecular machine
Ben Feringa
- In 1999, constructed the molecular motor, completing a simple molecular machine.
- Feringa faced a problem to rotate the molecular motor in the same direction because a molecule rotates as many times left as right
- Molecular Motor used two flat chemical structures connected via double bonds, and rotor blades serves as a ratchet to keep the molecule rotating in one direction
Result
-By implementing all these structures, one is able to construct a molecular machine (ie: Ben Feringa's nano car.
Why Did They Win?
Importance
- Awarded Prize because innovated a way to create machinery at a molecular level, expanding upon fields of medicine, alternative energy, and electronics.
- Discovered a way to control molecular movement, contradicting previous knowledge that molecules strive to achieve equilibrium.
Current and Future Effect
- Perform medical surgery at molecular precision, reducing risk of failure.
- Revolutionary effect of technological miniaturization applied to all machines (fans, washing machines, etc.).
- Used in development of sensors and energy storage systems
- Concept car constructed by Ben Feringa, using molecular chassis and motors.
Dictionary
Ratchet- Device containing a wheel or bar, allowing motion in one direction only.