Robert Grubbs
Dr. Robert H. Grubbs was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for an achievement that will lead to the development of new medicines for illness, and new materials for industry and daily living, while dramatically reducing the hazard of chemical waste in the environment. The Swedish Academy honored Dr. Grubbs for his discovery of the “Grubbs catalyst,” a molecule of carbon and ruthenium, which facilitates the formation of new carbon-based compounds. The chemical process of metathesis, in which the atoms of one molecule trade places with the atoms of another, has been compared to a dance in which two partners—holding each other by both hands—link up with another couple, briefly forming a circle before changing partners and dancing off again. The Grubbs catalyst, already available to laboratories, is a particularly graceful performer in this dance, and enables chemists to replace individual atoms with unprecedented accuracy. Robert Grubbs was born and raised in Marshall County, Kentu