Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2001

William S. Knowles

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

Ryoji Noyori

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

K. Barry Sharpless

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2001 was divided, one half jointly to William S. Knowles and Ryoji Noyori "for their work on chirally catalysed hydrogenation reactions" and the other half to K. Barry Sharpless "for his work on chirally catalysed oxidation reactions"

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2001. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Sat. 26 Apr 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2001/summary/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Play a game!

The Chirality Game

Chiral objects, like left and right hands, cannot be superimposed on its mirror image. Find other ‘chiral’ objects in this game.

Chirality game

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Nobel Prizes 2024

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.