From Sputnik to Olefin Metathesis

Prof. Robert Grubbs the 2005 Chemistry Nobel prize with Prof. Richard Schrock of MIT and Prof. Yves Chauvin of France for "the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis.  Metathesis is one of organic chemistry's most important reactions.  In metathesis reactions, bonds are broken and made between the carbon atoms that are the basis of all organic life, allowing atom groups to change places.  Prof. Grubbs developed a better, more stable, catalyst that opened the field for organic and polymer chemists.  Metathesis was already used, mainly for pharmaceuticals and plastics, but his research work has made the process simpler, more efficient and environmentally friendly, allowing greater opportunities for producing new molecules.