92More than a century ago, the French chemist
Victor Grignard created organic compounds
with magnesium. However, without the use
of transition metals as catalysts, his team’s
applications were rendered extremely
limited. What they lacked was a process to
allow objects to be synthesised at will, such
that a large variety of organic compounds
could be easilygenerated.
Fast forward to 2010. Japanese Professor
Ei-ichi Negishi won the 2010 Nobel Prize
in Chemistry for his palladium-catalysed
cross coupling technique – reactions that
allow the linking of two groups of carbon
and the synthesising ofmolecules. Since
the discovery 40 years ago, the technique
has revolutionised the world of organic
highlights
Achievements for Humanity
catalysing change By Selina Tan Photo Justin Ong
chemistry, blazing a trail for fundamental
advances in various fields. In addition
to its use in the development of cancer
treatment, the concept has also been applied
to fluorescent marking essential for DNA
sequencing and in the creation of materials
for thin LED displays.
Signifying a giant leap forward in science,
the use of palladium as a catalyst metal for
synthesising cancer-killing substances is
proving to be highly effective. The method
also heralded a paradigm shift, as scientists
can now offer a wide variety of applications,
from medicine to electronics, but particularly
for drugs that contain extremely structured
compounds whose synthesis is very difficult
to change.But Professor Negishi’s inspiration did
not stop there. The more he worked with
organic elements, the more he realised that
his method might hold the key to providing
answers to some of the most difficult
problems facing humanity.
One such challenge is the reduction of
the carbon dioxide emissions responsible
for climate change. Professor Negishi is
convinced that the secret to solving this
problem economically also lies in transition
metal catalysis. The ultimate hope is to spin
miracles from chemical reactions, bringing
groundbreaking change across industries
and continents.Catch the
full interview
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