FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE聽|聽October 06, 2021

American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网鈥檚 president comments on award of 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2021 鈥� On behalf of the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 (ACS), President H. N. Cheng, Ph.D., congratulates today鈥檚 winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Benjamin List, Ph.D., Max-Planck-Institut f眉r Kohlenforschung (Germany) and David W.C. MacMillan, Ph.D., Princeton University. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the prize 鈥渇or the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.鈥�

鈥淎symmetric organocatalysis offers a new way of thinking and a more sustainable way of carrying out crucial chemical reactions,鈥� says Cheng. 鈥淚n the big picture, the ability to create new compounds to address human problems is the strength of chemistry. Chemists are like magicians, and with asymmetric organocatalysis, we have a new magic wand for making important drugs.鈥�

List has been a member of ACS for 21 years. He is the winner of the Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods for 2022, which is sponsored by the Purdue Borane Research Fund and the Herbert C. Brown Award Endowment. In addition, he won the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in 2014, which is currently sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund.

MacMillan has been a member of ACS for 26 years. He won the ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry in 2011, which is currently sponsored by MilliporeSigma; the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in 2007, which is currently sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund; the Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution in Organic Synthesis by a Young Investigator in 2005, which is currently sponsored by the Pfizer Endowment Fund; and the Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis in 2018, which is currently sponsored by the Gabor A. and Judith K. Somorjai Endowment Fund.

Both of the winners have published articles in some of ACS鈥� more than 65 peer-reviewed journals. In addition, news articles on the work have appeared in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS鈥� weekly newsmagazine. Articles are available from the contacts below.

News media can arrange telephone interviews with Cheng or other experts in the field by calling or emailing ACS at the contact information below. In addition, C&EN鈥檚 podcast will publish a bonus episode about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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The American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 (ACS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is committed to improving all lives through the transforming power of chemistry. Its mission is to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community and champion scientific integrity, and its vision is a world built on science. The 中国365bet中文官网 is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical聽Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world鈥檚 scientific knowledge. ACS鈥� main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Registered journalists can subscribe to the to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Media Contact

ACS Newsroom
newsroom@acs.org

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Foundational Work


  • In seminal work published in the Journal of the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网, List bridged the gap between symmetric, synthetic catalysts and the asymmetric catalysis that natural enzymes perform.

  • In a series of聽Journal of the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网聽articles, MacMillan laid out a new strategy for organic molecules for asymmetric catalysis, rather than metals or enzymes.聽