Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded for development of Asymmetric Organocatalysis

Stockholm : The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Benjamin List from Germany’s Max-Planck-Institute and David WC MacMillan from the US Princeton University “for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.

“Building molecules is a difficult art. Benjamin List and David MacMillan are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021 for their development of a precise new tool for molecular construction: organocatalysis … Benjamin List and David MacMillan remain leaders in the field, and have shown that organic catalysts can be used to drive multitudes of chemical reactions.

“Using these reactions, researchers can now more efficiently construct anything from new pharmaceuticals to molecules that can capture light in solar cells. In this way, organocatalysts are bringing the greatest benefit to humankind,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement.