Akira Suzuki Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Akira Suzuki
Suzuki in 2010
Born	(1930-09-12) September 12, 1930 (age 94) Mukawa, Hokkaido, Japan
Alma mater	Hokkaidō University
Known for	Suzuki reaction
Awards	Japan Academy Prize (2003) Paul Karrer Gold Medal (2009) Nobel Prize for Chemistry (2010) Person of Cultural Merit (2010) Order of Culture (2010)
Scientific career
Institutions	Hokkaidō University Purdue University University of Wales Okayama University of Science Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts

Akira Suzuki (鈴木章, Suzuki Akira, born September 12, 1930) is a famous Japanese chemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2010. He is best known for discovering a special chemical reaction called the Suzuki reaction in 1979. This reaction helps chemists build new and useful molecules.

Early Life and Learning
A Career in Chemistry
A Gift to Science
Awards and Honors
See also

Early Life and Learning

Akira Suzuki was born in Mukawa, Hokkaidō, Japan, on September 12, 1930. When he was a kid, he really liked math. He wanted to study mathematics in college.

But then he read two important chemistry books. These books made him interested in organic chemistry. This is the study of molecules that contain carbon. He decided to study chemistry instead.

He went to Hokkaido University in Japan. He earned his PhD there. After that, he became an assistant professor at the same university.

A Career in Chemistry

From 1963 to 1965, Suzuki worked at Purdue University in the United States. He was a special student called a postdoctoral researcher. He worked with a famous chemist named Herbert C. Brown.

After this, he went back to Hokkaido University. He became a full professor there. He used what he learned at Purdue to study how to connect different molecules.

Discovering the Suzuki Reaction

In 1979, Professor Suzuki and his assistant, Norio Miyaura, made an important discovery. They found a new way to join molecules together. This method is now called the Suzuki reaction.

The Suzuki reaction uses special chemicals called boronic acids. These acids are easy to work with. They are stable in air and water. This makes the Suzuki reaction very useful for chemists. It helps them create many new substances.

The full process of the Suzuki Coupling reaction.

Life After Hokkaido University

Professor Suzuki retired from Hokkaido University in 1994. But he kept working at other universities. He taught at Okayama University of Science from 1994 to 1995. Then he taught at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts from 1995 to 2002.

He also visited other universities as a special professor. These included Purdue University in 2001.

Winning the Nobel Prize

In 2010, Akira Suzuki won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared the prize with two other chemists. They were Richard F. Heck and Ei-ichi Negishi. They all won for their work on "palladium-catalyzed cross couplings." This is a fancy way of saying they found new ways to connect molecules using a metal called palladium.

In 2011, Professor Suzuki was interviewed by a magazine. He talked about how important chemistry is. He said that chemistry helps us have the life we know today. He also said that chemists must work to create new substances that are good for the environment.

In 2014, a student asked him for advice. The student wanted to know how to become a great chemist. Professor Suzuki told him: "... above all else, you must learn to see through the appearance to perceive the essence." This means to look beyond what you see and understand the real meaning.

A Gift to Science

Akira Suzuki did not get a patent for the Suzuki reaction. A patent would have given him special rights to his invention. He believed that his research was supported by government money. So, he wanted the discovery to be free for everyone to use.

Because of this, the Suzuki reaction became very popular. Many scientists and companies use it. More than 6,000 scientific papers and patents are related to this reaction. It has helped create many new products.