Victor Grignard
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Victor Grignard
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1912
Born: 6 May 1871, Cherbourg, France
Died: 13 December 1935, Lyon, France
Affiliation at the time of the award: Nancy University, Nancy, France
Prize motivation: “for the discovery of the so-called Grignard reagent, which in recent years has greatly advanced the progress of organic chemistry”
Prize share: 1/2
Work
Nature is full of organic substances—a large and varied quantity of chemical compounds that contain the element carbon. Combining—synthesizing—organic substances by chemical means is important in both scientific and industrial contexts. In 1900 Victor Grignard developed a method for combining more basic organic compounds into more complex ones by causing carbon atoms to be bound to one another. The method uses magnesium as a reagent - a substance that activates the process.
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 10 laureates' work and discoveries range from optogenetics to efforts to promote peace and international law.
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