Carbon chemists share Nobel prize

Three scientists shared the Nobel prize for chemistry on Wednesday for work on carbon. Richard Heck of the United States, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki of Japan developed a way to knit carbon atoms together, which has applications in medicine, electronics and agriculture.

Reuters

"It is important to emphasise the great significance their discoveries have for both academic and industrial research, including pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals and high-tech materials, that benefit society," said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Heck, 79, is a professor at the University of Delaware. Negishi, 75, teaches at Perdue University in Indiana and Suzuki, 80, is at Hokkaido University in Japan.

They developed a process called palladium-catalysed cross coupling, which has allowed chemists to synthesise compounds to fight colon cancer, herpes and HIV as well as plastics that are used in computer monitors.