Organocatalysis

The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude,” Oprah Winfrey.

This is something aptly exemplified by Prof. Dr. Benjamin List and Dr. David W. C. MacMillan by bagging the prestigious 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 

Let’s first learn a little about the Incredible Duo

Dr. Benjamin List or Ben List is a German chemist born on 11 January 1968. He obtained his Diplom degree in chemistry in the year 1993 and Ph.D. in 1997. He is now an organic chemistry professor at the University of Cologne and one of the directors of the Homogenous Catalysis Department at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research. Nephew of Nobel laureate Christaine Nusslein-Volhard, he gracefully continued the legacy by himself, becoming one in 2021.

Dr. David William Cross MacMillan is a British-American chemist born on 16 March 1968. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1996, MacMillan started his research career at the University of California in 1998. He is now the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University of Professor at Princeton University. He shares the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Ben List for asymmetric organocatalysis development.

Now, let’s hear about the remarkable development!

The asymmetric organocatalysis development is a crucial contribution in the field of drug discovery and pharmaceuticals in general. Another major transformation brought in by this scientific success is the shift from conventional metal catalysts to small organic catalysts, thus making the process natural, more green, and sustainable. This is precisely what our Earth, Universe, and People need at the moment!

Tapping into the basic chemical compounds and chemistry found in nature, this mechanism accelerates the drug manufacturing process. These organic catalysts improve the efficiency and speed of the process. 

These simple, natural, asymmetric compounds can effectively catalyze complex reactions. As rightly mentioned by Nobel committee member Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, “asymmetric organocatalysis is an elegant tool and simpler than one could ever imagine.”

While progressing with time, staying rooted to natural and environment-friendly resources enabled simplification of a complicated and critical task.

#GoGreen

Avani Raj Arora 

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