Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to scientists who developed new way of building molecules

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to two scientists, the German Benjamin List and the American David MacMillan. This was announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. The duo developed a brand new third way to build molecules: organocatalysis.

Thanks to scientists, molecules can be made in a more environmentally friendly and cheaper way. Their discoveries are the basis of “a completely new way of assembling chemical molecules,” said Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, a member of the Nobel Committee on Chemistry.

“The new technique is already widely used today, for example in the production of medicines and fine chemical molecules. It is very beneficial for humans,” said Wittung-Stafshede.

The two scientists each worked separately but shared the prize. It is the third Nobel Prize awarded this week, previously the prize for Physics and Medicine.