Noble Peace Prize 2005
Yves Chauvin, Robert H. Grubbs, Richard R. Schrock
Yves Chauvin
- Born: October 10, 1930 (Menin, Belgium)
- Died: January 27, 2015 (Tours, France)
- Affiliation at the time of the award: Institut Français du Pétrole, Rueil-Malmaison, France
- Field: Organic chemistry
- Prize share: 1/3
- Education: École supérieure de chimie physique électronique de Lyon (1954)
- Fun fact: He was never that gifted as a student, even in chemistry.
Robert H. Grubbs
- Born: February 27, 1942 (Possum Trot, KY, USA)
- Affiliation at the time award: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA, USA
- Field: Organic chemistry
- Prize share: 1/3
- Education: University of Florida, Paducah Tilghman High School, Columbia University
- Fun fact: His mom often pokes fun at him for buying nails and wood instead of candy.
Richard R. Schrock
- Born: January 4, 1945 (Berne, IN, USA)
- Affiliation at the time of the award: Massachusetts Insititute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
- Field: Organic chemistry
- Prize share: 1/3
- Education: Harvard Univeristy (1971), University of California, Riverside (1967), University of Cambridge
- Fun fact: Schrock was given a chemistry set for his 8th birthday, by his older brother, and soon became hooked.
What Did They Do?
Awarded "for the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis".
KEY WORDS:
- Metathesis- the exchange of parts of two substances (DOUBLE REPLACEMENT REACTION)
- Organic Synthesis- carbon compounds of all sizes build up ALL life on earth
Think of METATHESIS as a molecular dance!
- Atoms let go of each other = broken bonds
- A new molecule comes up = a new bond
- Everything happens so fast, like speed dancing!
- Chemistry is all about keeping up with these super fast dancing molecules
- Double bonds between carbon atoms are BROKEN
- REFORM and cause atoms to change places
Their experiments led to the discoveries of molybdenum and ruthenium as catalysts which speed up chemical reactions. These catalysts contained a metal atom bound to a carbon atom with a double bond. These discoveries led to the design of new substances as catalysts, leading to the underlying mechanism in metathesis (a double replacement reaction).
Why Did They Win?
METATHESIS is used everyday in the chemical industry in
- Creating medicine
- Development of advanced plastic materials
Their practices contributed to the
- Higher simplicity in synthesis methods (fewer resources, less wastage)
- More efficiency in synthesis methods (stable in air)
- More environmentally friendly synthesis methods (less hazardous waste products)
Their discoveries led to a great step forward for "green chemistry".
- Reduced potential hazardous waste through smarter production
METATHESIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IMPORTANT BASIC SCIENCE HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR THE BENEFIT OF MAN, SOCIETY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT.