Yves Chauvin

Facts

Yves Chauvin

Photo: U. Montan

Yves Chauvin
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2005

Born: 10 October 1930, Menin, Belgium

Died: 27 January 2015, Tours, France

Affiliation at the time of the award: Institut Français du Pétrole, Rueil-Malmaison, France

Prize motivation: “for the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis”

Prize share: 1/3

Work

Organic substances—a multitude of chemical compounds that contain the element carbon—are the basis of all life. Metathesis is an important type of chemical reaction in assembling or synthesizing organic substances. In metathesis double bonds between carbon atoms are broken and reorganized at the same time as atomic groups change place. In 1971 Yves Chauvin showed how such reactions proceed in detail, including how certain metallic compounds facilitate the process. Metathesis has enabled more effective and environmentally sound processes in industry.

To cite this section
MLA style: Yves Chauvin – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Wed. 23 Oct 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2005/chauvin/facts/>

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

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.