2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

In Context

• The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David W C MacMillan “for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis”.

What is Organocatalysis?

• Catalysis:
  • It is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a catalyst.
  • The major types of catalysts are metals and enzymes.
• Catalyst:
  • A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without taking part in the reaction, or without undergoing any changes during the chemical reaction.
• Organocatalysis: 
  • Organocatalysis describes the acceleration of chemical reactions through the addition of a substoichiometric quantity of an organic compound.
• Working of Organocatalysis:
  • Organocatalysts bind to the reacting molecules to form short-lived intermediates that are more reactive than the substrate molecules on their own. 
  • Being chiral(a type of molecule that has a non-superimposable mirror image), the catalyst transfers its handedness to the substrate, controlling which side of the intermediate can react further.

Image Courtesy: Nobelprize.org

• Applications of organocatalysis:
  • It has several applications in pharmaceutical research and other industries.
  • It has helped streamline the production of existing pharmaceuticals, including paroxetine, used to treat anxiety and depression, and oseltamivir, a respiratory infection medication.

Source: IE