On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes. As described in Nobel’s will one part was dedicated to “the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement”. Learn more about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry from 1901 to 2024.

Number of Nobel Prizes in Chemistry

116 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry have been awarded since 1901. It was not awarded on eight occasions: in 1916, 1917, 1919, 1924, 1933, 1940, 1941 and 1942.

Why were the chemistry prizes not awarded in those years? In the statutes of the Nobel Foundation it says: “If none of the works under consideration is found to be of the importance indicated in the first paragraph, the prize money shall be reserved until the following year. If, even then, the prize cannot be awarded, the amount shall be added to the Foundation’s restricted funds.” During World War I and II, fewer Nobel Prizes were awarded.

Shared and unshared Nobel Prizes in Chemistry

63 chemistry prizes have been given to one laureate* only.
25 chemistry prizes have been shared by two laureates.
28 chemistry prizes have been shared between three laureates.

Why is that? In the statutes of the Nobel Foundation it says: “A prize amount may be equally divided between two works, each of which is considered to merit a prize. If a work that is being rewarded has been produced by two or three persons, the prize shall be awarded to them jointly. In no case may a prize amount be divided between more than three persons.”

Number of Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to 197 laureates 1901-2024. As Frederick Sanger and Barry Sharpless has been awarded twice, there are 195 individuals who have received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry since 1901.

List of all Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry

Youngest chemistry laureate

To date, the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry is Frédéric Joliot, who was 35 years old when he was awarded the chemistry prize in 1935, together with his wife, Irène Joliot-Curie.

Oldest chemistry laureate

The oldest Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry to date is John B. Goodenough, who was 97 years old when he was awarded the chemistry prize in 2019. He is also the oldest laureate to be awarded in all prize categories.

Female Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry

Of the 195 individuals awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 8 are women so far. 2 of these 8 women, Marie Curie and Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, were awarded unshared chemistry prizes.

List of all female Nobel Prize laureates

Multiple Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry

Marie Curie, née Skłodowska

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911 in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903 in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel.

Linus Carl Pauling

The Nobel Peace Prize 1962 for his fight against the nuclear arms race between East and West.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1954 for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances.

Frederick Sanger

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1980 for their contributions concerning the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1958 for his work on the structure of proteins, especially that of insulin.

K. Barry Sharpless

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2001 for his work on chirally catalysed oxidation reactions.

Linus Pauling is the only person who have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes.

List of multiple Nobel Prize laureates within other prize categories

Posthumous Nobel Prizes in Chemistry

There have been no posthumous Nobel Prizes in Chemistry. From 1974, the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation stipulate that a Nobel Prize cannot be awarded posthumously, unless death has occurred after the announcement of the Nobel Prize. Before 1974, the Nobel Prize has only been awarded posthumously twice: to Dag Hammarskjöld (Nobel Peace Prize 1961) and Erik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize in Literature 1931).

Family Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry

The Curies were the most successful “Nobel Prize family”. The husband-and-wife partnership of Marie Curie and Pierre Curie were awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Marie Curie herself was awarded the Nobel Prize a second time, receiving the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Marie and Pierre Curie’s eldest daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, together with her husband, Frédéric Joliot. The younger daughter, Ève Curie, worked for the UNICEF and was married to Henry R. Labouisse. He accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of UNICEF in 1965.

Read more about Marie and Pierre Curie and the discovery of polonium and radium.

More “Nobel Prize families”, where at least one member was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry:

Hans Karl August Simon von Euler-Chelpin

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1929 for their investigations on the fermentation of sugar and fermentative enzymes.

Ulf von Euler

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1970 for their discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation.

Arthur Kornberg

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959 for their discovery of the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid.

Roger D. Kornberg

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2006 for his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription.

Forced to decline the Nobel Prize

Two Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry have been forced by authorities to decline the Nobel Prize. Adolf Hitler forbade three German Nobel Prize laureates from receiving the Nobel Prize – two of whom were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Richard Kuhn in 1938 and Adolf Butenandt in 1939. The third person, Gerhard Domagk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1939. All of them could receive the Nobel Prize diploma and medal later, but not the prize amount.

Nobel Prize laureate partnerships in biomedical science

Many long scientific partnerships have resulted in Nobel Prizes:

List compiled in 2012, courtesy of Joseph L. Goldstein.

The Nobel Prize medal in chemistry

The Nobel Prize medal in chemistry was designed by Swedish sculptor and engraver Erik Lindberg and represents Nature in the form of a goddess resembling Isis, emerging from the clouds and holding in her arms a cornucopia. The veil which covers her cold and austere face is held up by the Genius of Science.

More about the Nobel Prize medal in chemistry

The Nobel Prize diplomas

Each Nobel Prize diploma is a unique work of art, created by foremost Swedish and Norwegian artists and calligraphers.

More about the Nobel Prize diplomas

The Nobel Prize amount

Alfred Nobel left most of his estate, more than SEK 31 million (today approximately SEK 2,2 billion) to be converted into a fund and invested in “safe securities.” The income from the investments was to be “distributed annually in the form of prizes to those who during the preceding year have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”

The Nobel Prize amount for 2024 is set at Swedish kronor (SEK) 11.0 million per full Nobel Prize.

More about the Nobel Prize amount

*Why “laureate”?

Why are the individuals and organisations awarded a Nobel Prize called Nobel Prize laureate? The word “laureate” refers to being signified by the laurel wreath. In Greek mythology, the god Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head. A laurel wreath is a circular Crown made of branches and leaves of the bay laurel (in Latin: Laurus nobilis). In Ancient Greece, laurel wreaths were awarded to victors as a sign of honour – both in athletic competitions and in poetic meets.

More facts on the Nobel Prizes

• Facts on the Nobel Prize in Physics
• Facts on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Facts on the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Facts on the Nobel Prize in Literature
• Facts on the Nobel Peace Prize
• Facts on the prize in economic sciences
• Facts on all Nobel Prizes

First published 5 October 2009.