Robert H. Grubbs

Facts

Robert H. Grubbs

Photo: R. Paz

Robert H. Grubbs
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2005

Born: 27 February 1942, Possum Trot, KY, USA

Died: 19 December 2021, Duarte, CA, USA

Affiliation at the time of the award: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA, USA

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. Around 1992 Robert Grubbs discovered a metallic compound that effectively facilitates metathesis and is stable in the air. Metathesis has enabled more effective and environmentally sound processes in industry.

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