Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013
Ali, Adrian, Sameer
Winners and Who They Are
Martin Karplus
•Born- March,15,1930/ Vienna, Austria [2]
•Education- California Institute of Technology, Harvard University [2]
•Place of Work When Award was Issued- Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France/Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA [2]
•Scientific Field- bio/physical/theoretical chemistry [2]
•Interesting Fact- Was 8 years old when his parents fled from Nazi occupied Austria in 1938, taking him and his brother to Zurich, then after several months, to America. [1]
Michael Levitt
•Born- May,9,1947/ Pretoria, South Africa [3]
•Education- University of Cambridge/ King’s College London
•Place of Work When Award was Issued- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA [3]
•Scientific Field- bio/physical/theoretical chemistry [3]
•Interesting Facts- Triple citizen (U.S., U.K., Israel)
Arieh Warshel
•Born- November,20,1940/ Kibbutz, Israel [4]
•Education- Weizmann Institute of Science/ Israel Institute of Technology
•Place of Work When Award was Issued- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA [4]
•Scientific Field- bio/physical/theoretical chemistry [4]
•Interesting Facts- Fought in the Six Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and earned the rank of Captain in the IDF [5]
What They Did and the Results
Starting in the 1970’s, Karplus, Levitt, and Warshel began work on a program to model enzymes on the chemical level with more accuracy.
Using previously observed reactions, they refined the program further to better model other chemical reactions.
- In 2013, the scientists created the most efficient and accurate way to measure the energy and electrons around atoms in any part of a complex molecule.
Why They Won
They developed a more accurate way to model what goes on in a chemical reaction at specific places and times using computers.
What made this contribution so important?
- In chemistry, there are two different mechanisms at work during reactions: quantum mechanics and classical mechanics.
- Quantum mechanics deals with the smallest possible unit of something e.g. atoms are the smallest units of chemicals.
- Classical mechanics focus on forces that act on everyday objects using Newton’s laws. [6]
- They presented a method where the two are combined to give a much more accurate way to predict what happens to individual atoms in a reaction.
Future impact?
- Created a basis for which computer programs could be developed to model rapid events in chemistry.
- Chemists use computers now just as much as the laboratory.
Currently used?
Did it challenge previous knowledge?
- Didn't challenge previous knowledge but made new knowledge more accessible.
- Previous methods in quantum mechanics and classical mechanics were combined to create completely new algorithms that chemists never used.
- Chemists had to choose either quantum or classical physics, but new method gives chemists more advantages.
Bibliography
Biblio:
[1] "SPINACH ON THE CEILING: A Theoretical Chemist's Return to Biology." Annual Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.biophys.33.110502.133350>.
[2] "Martin Karplus - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 5 Jan 2016. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2013/karplus-facts.html>
[3] "Michael Levitt - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 5 Jan 2016. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2013/levitt-facts.html>
[4] "Arieh Warshel - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 6 Jan 2016. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2013/warshel.html>
[5] Method and Results-Adri"3 Jewish Professors — Two of Them Israeli — Share 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry." The Times of Israel. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. <http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-prof-arieh-warshel-shares-2013-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/>
[6] Coolman, By Robert. "What Is Classical Mechanics?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. <http://www.livescience.com/47814-classical-mechanics.html>.