Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners
1999
AHMED ZEWAIL for his studies of the transition states of chemical
reactions using femtosecond spectroscopy.
1998
The prize was awarded for pioneering contributions in developing
methods that can be used for theoretical studies of the
properties of molecules and the chemical processes in which they
are involved. The prize was divided equally between:
WALTER KOHN for his development of the density-functional theory
and
JOHN A. POPLE for his development of computational methods in
quantum chemistry.
1997
The prize was divided, one half being awarded jointly to:
PAUL D. BOYER and JOHN E. WALKER for their elucidation of the
enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP)
and with one half to:
JENS C. SKOU for the first discovery of an ion-transporting
enzyme, Na+, K+-ATPase.
1996
The prize was awarded jointly to:
ROBERT F. CURL, Jr. , SIR HAROLD W. KROTO , and RICHARD E.
SMALLEY for their discovery of fullerenes.
1995
The prize was awarded jointly to:
PAUL CRUTZEN , MARIO MOLINA , and F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND for their
work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the
formation and decomposition of ozone.
1994
GEORGE A. OLAH for his contribution to carbocation chemistry.
1993
The prize was awarded for contributions to the developments of
methods within DNA-based chemistry equally between:
KARY B. MULLIS for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) method.
and
MICHAEL SMITH for his fundamental contributions to the
establishment of oligonucleiotide-based, site-directed
mutagenesis
and its development for protein studies.
1992
RUDOLPH A. MARCUS for his contributions to the theory of electron
transfer reactions in chemical systems.
1991
RICHARD R. ERNST for his contributions to the development of the
methodology of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
spectroscopy.
1990
ELIAS JAMES COREY for his development of the theory and
methodology of organic synthesis.
1989
The prize was awarded jointly to:
SIDNEY ALTMAN and THOMAS R. CECH for their discovery of catalytic
properties of RNA.
1988
The prize was awarded jointly to:
JOHANN DEISENHOFER , ROBERT HUBER and HARTMUT MICHEL for the
determination of the three-dimensional structure of a
photosynthetic reaction centre.
1987
The prize was awarded jointly to:
DONALD J. CRAM , JEAN-MARIE LEHN and CHARLES J. PEDERSEN
for their development and use of molecules with structure-specific
interactions of high selectivity.
1986
The prize was awarded jointly to:
DUDLEY R. HERSCHBACH , YUAN T. LEE and JOHN C. POLANYI for their
contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary
processes.
1985
The prize was awarded jointly to:
HERBERT A. HAUPTMAN and JEROME KARLE for their outstanding
achievements in the development of direct methods for the
determination of crystal structures.
1984
ROBERT BRUCE MERRIFIELD for his development of methodology for
chemical synthesis on a solid matrix.
1983
HENRY TAUBE for his work on the mechanisms of electron transfer
reactions, especially in metal complexes.
1982
SIR AARON KLUG for his development of crystallographic electron
microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically
important nuclei acid-protein complexes.
1981
The prize was awarded jointly to:
KENICHI FUKUI and ROALD HOFFMANN for their theories, developed
independently, concerning the course of chemical reactions.
1980
The prize was divided, one half being awarded to:
PAUL BERG for his fundamental studies of the biochemistry of
nucleic acids, with particular regard to recombinant-DNA
and the other half jointly to:
WALTER GILBERT and FREDERICK SANGER for their contributions
concerning the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids.
1979
The prize was divided equally between:
HERBERT C. BROWN and GEORG WITTIG for their development of the
use of boron- and phosphorus-containing compounds, respectively,
into important reagents in organic synthesis.
1978
PETER D. MITCHELL for his contribution to the understanding of
biological energy transfer through the formulation of the
chemiosmotic theory.
1977
ILYA PRIGOGINE for his contributions to non-equilibrium
thermodynamics, particularly the theory of dissipative structures.
1976
WILLIAM N.. LIPSCOMB for his studies on the structure of boranes
illuminating problems of chemical bonding.
1975
The prize was divided equally between:
SIR JOHN WARCUP CORNFORTH for his work on the stereochemistry of
enzyme-catalyzed reactions
and
VLADIMIR PRELOG for his research into the stereochemistry of
organic molecules and reactions.
1974
PAUL J. FLORY for his fundamental achievements, both theoretical
and experimental, in the physical chemistry of the
macromolecules.
1973
The prize was divided equally between:
ERNST OTTO FISCHER and SIR GEOFFREY WILKINSON for their
pioneering work, performed independently, on the
chemistry of the organometallic, so called sandwich compounds.
1972
The prize was divided, one half being awarded to:
CHRISTIAN B. ANFINSEN for his work on ribonuclease, especially
concerning the connection between the amino acid sequence and the
biologically active confirmation
and the other half jointly to:
STANFORD MOORE and WILLIAM H. STEIN for their contribution to the
understanding of the connection between chemical structure and
catalytic activity of the active centre of the ribonuclease
molecule.
1971
GERHARD HERZBERG for his contributions to the knowledge of
electronic stucture and geometry of molecules, particularly free
radicals.
1970
LUIS F. LELOIR for his discovery of sugar nucleotides and their
role in the biosynthesis of carbohydrates.
1969
The prize was divided equally between:
SIR DEREK H. R. BARTON and ODD HASSEL for their contributions to
the development of the concept of conformation and its
application in chemistry.
1968
LARS ONSAGER for the discovery of the reciprocal relations
bearing his name, which are fundamental for the thermodynamics of
irreversible processes.
1967
The prize was divided, one half being awarded to:
MANFRED EIGEN
and the other half jointly to:
RONALD GEORGE WREYFORD NORRISH and LORD GEORGE PORTER for their
studies of extremely fast chemical reactions, effected by
disturbing the equlibrium by means of very short pulses of energy.
1966
ROBERT S. MULLIKEN for his fundamental work concerning chemical
bonds and the electronic structure of molecules by the molecular
orbital method.
1965
ROBERT BURNS WOODWARD for his outstanding achievements in the art
of organic synthesis.
1964
DOROTHY CROWFOOT HODGKIN for her determinations by X-ray
techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances.
1963
The prize was divided equally between:
KARL ZIEGLER and GIULIO NATTA for their discoveries in the field
of the chemistry and technology of high polymers.
1962
The prize was divided equally between:
MAX FERDINAND PERUTZ and SIR JOHN COWDERY KENDREW for their
studies of the structures of globular proteins.
1961
MELVIN CALVIN for his research on the carbon dioxide assimilation
in plants.
1960
WILLARD FRANK LIBBY for his method to use carbon-14 for age
determination in archaeology, geology, geophysics, and
other branches of science.
1959
JAROSLAV HEYROVSKY for his discovery and development of the
polarographic methods of analysis.
1958
FREDERICK SANGER for his work on the structure of proteins,
especially that of insulin.
1957
LORD ALEXANDER R. TODD for his work on nucleotides and nucleotide
co-enzymes.
1956
The prize was awarded jointly to:
SIR CYRIL NORMAN HINSHELWOOD and NIKOLAY NIKOLAEVICH SEMENOV for
their researches into the mechanism of chemical reactions.
1955
VINCENT DU VIGNEAUD for his work on biochemically important
sulphur compounds, especially for the first synthesis of a
polypeptide hormone.
1954
LINUS CARL PAULING for his research into the nature of the
chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the
structure of complex substances.
1953
HERMANN STAUDINGER for his discoveries in the field of
macromolecular chemistry.
1952
The prize was awarded jointly to:
ARCHER JOHN PORTER MARTIN and RICHARD LAURENCE MILLINGTON SYNGE
for their invention of partition
chromatography.
1951
The prize was awarded jointly to:
EDWIN MATTISON MC MILLAN and GLENN THEODORE SEABORG for their
discoveries in the chemistry of the transuranium elements.
1950
The prize was awarded jointly to:
OTTO PAUL HERMANN DIELS and KURT ALDER for their discovery and
development of the diene synthesis.
1949
WILLIAM FRANCIS GIAUQUE for his contributions in the field of
chemical thermodynamics, particularly concerning the
behaviour of substances at extremely low temperatures.
1948
ARNE WILHELM KAURIN TISELIUS for his research on electrophoresis
and adsorption analysis, especially for his discoveries
concerning the complex nature of the serum proteins.
1947
SIR ROBERT ROBINSON for his investigations on plant products of
biological importance, especially the alkaloids.
1946
The prize was divided, one half being awarded to:
JAMES BATCHELLER SUMNER for his discovery that enzymes can be
crystallized.
the other half jointly to
JOHN HOWARD NORTHROP and WENDELL MEREDITH STANLEY for their
preparation of enzymes and virus proteins in a pure form.
1945
ARTTURI ILMARI VIRTANEN for his research and inventions in
agricultural and nutrition chemistry, especially for his fodder
preservation method.
1944
OTTO HAHN for his discovery of the fission of heavy nuclei.
1943
GEORGE DE HEVESY for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers
in the study of chemical processes.
1942-1940
The prize money was allocated to the Main Fund (1/3) and to the
Special Fund (2/3) of this prize section.
1939
ADOLF FRIEDRICH JOHANN BUTENANDT for his work on sex hormones. (Caused
by the authorities of his country to decline the award but later
received the diploma and the medal).
and
LEOPOLD RUZICKA for his work on polymethylenes and higher
terpenes.
1938
RICHARD KUHN for his work on carotenoids and vitamins. (Caused by
the authorities of his country to decline the award but later
received the diploma and the medal.)
1937
The prize was divided equally between:
SIR WALTER NORMAN HAWORTH for his investigations on carbohydrates
and vitamin C.
and
PAUL KARRER for his investigations on carotenoids, flavins and
vitamins A and B2.
1936
PETRUS (PETER) JOSEPHUS WILHELMUS DEBYE for his contributions to
our knowledge of molecular structure through his investigations
on dipole moments and on the diffraction of X-rays and electrons
in gases.
1935
The prize was awarded jointly to:
FRÉDÉRIC JOLIOT and IRÈNE JOLIOT-CURIE in recognition of their
synthesis of new radioactive elements.
1934
HAROLD CLAYTON UREY for his discovery of heavy hydrogen.
1933
The prize money was allocated to the Main Fund (1/3) and to the
Special Fund (2/3) of this prize section.
1932
IRVING LANGMUIR for his discoveries and investigations in surface
chemistry.
1931
The prize was awarded jointly to:
CARL BOSCH and FRIEDRICH BERGIUS in recognition of their
contributions to the invention and development of chemical high
pressure methods.
1930
HANS FISCHER for his researches into the constitution of haemin
and chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of haemin.
1929
The prize was divided equally between:
SIR ARTHUR HARDEN and HANS KARL AUGUST SIMON VON EULER-CHELPIN
for their investigations on the fermentation of sugar and
fermentative enzymes.
1928
ADOLF OTTO REINHOLD WINDAUS for the services rendered through his
research into the constitution of the sterols and their
connection with the vitamins.
1927
HEINRICH OTTO WIELAND for his investigations of the constitution
of the bile acids and related substances.
1926
THE (THEODOR) SVEDBERG for his work on disperse systems.
1925
RICHARD ADOLF ZSIGMONDY for his demonstration of the heterogenous
nature of colloid solutions and for the methods he used, which
have since become fundamental in modern colloid chemistry.
1924
The prize money for 1924 was allocated to the Special Fund of
this prize section.
1923
FRITZ PREGL for his invention of the method of micro-analysis of
organic substances.
1922
FRANCIS WILLIAM ASTON for his discovery, by means of his mass
spectrograph, of isotopes, in a large number of
non-radioactive elements, and for his enunciation of the whole-number
rule.
1921
FREDERICK SODDY , for his contributions to our knowledge of the
chemistry of radioactive substances, and his investigations into
the origin and nature of isotopes.
1920
WALTHER HERMANN NERNST in recognition of his work in
thermochemistry.
1919
The prize money for 1919 was allocated to the Special Fund of
this prize section.
1918
FRITZ HABER for the synthesis of ammonia from its elements.
1917-1916
The prize money for 1917-1916 was allocated to the Special Fund
of this prize section.
1915
RICHARD MARTIN WILLSTÄTTER for his researches on plant pigments,
especially chlorophyll.
1914
THEODORE WILLIAM RICHARDS , in recognition of his accurate
determinations of the atomic weight of a large number of chemical
elements.
1913
ALFRED WERNER in recognition of his work on the linkage of atoms
in molecules by which he has thrown new light on earlier
investigations and opened up new fields of research especially in
inorganic chemistry.
1912
The prize was divided equally between:
VICTOR GRIGNARD for the discovery of the so-called Grignard
reagent, which in recent years has greatly advanced the
progress of organic chemistry
and
PAUL SABATIER for his method of hydrogenating organic compounds
in the presence of finely disintegrated metals whereby the
progress of organic chemistry has been greatly advanced in recent
years.
1911
MARIE CURIE, née Marie Sklodowska, 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.
1910
OTTO WALLACH in recognition of his services to organic chemistry
and the chemical industry by his pioneer work in the field of
alicyclic compounds.
1909
WILHELM OSTWALD in recognition of his work on catalysis and for
his investigations into the fundamental principles governing
chemical equilibria and rates of reaction.
1908
LORD ERNEST RUTHERFORD for his investigations into the
disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive
substances.
1907
EDUARD BUCHNER for his biochemical researches and his discovery
of cellfree fermentation.
1906
HENRI MOISSAN in recognition of the great services rendered by
him in his investigation and isolation of the element fluorine,
and for the adoption in the service of science of the electric
furnace called after him.
1905
JOHANN FRIEDRICH WILHELM ADOLF VON BAEYER in recognition of his
services in the advancement of organic chemistry and the chemical
industry, through his work on organic dyes and hydroaromatic
compounds.
1904
SIR WILLIAM RAMSAY in recognition of his services in the
discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air, and his
determination of their place in the periodic system.
1903
SVANTE AUGUST ARRHENIUS in recognition of the extraordinary
services he has rendered to the advancement of chemistry by his
electrolytic theory of dissociation.
1902
HERMANN EMIL FISCHER in recognition of the extraordinary services
he has rendered by his work on sugar and purine
syntheses.
1901
JACOBUS HENRICUS VAN'T HOFF in recognition of the extraordinary
services he has rendered by the discovery of the laws of chemical
dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions.