Benjamin List facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin List
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Benjamin List in 2021
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| Born | 11 January 1968 Frankfurt, West Germany
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| Education | Free University of Berlin (Diplom) Goethe University Frankfurt (PhD) |
| Relatives | Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (aunt) |
| Awards | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2016) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2021) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Cologne Max Planck Institute for Coal Research Hokkaido University |
| Thesis | Synthese eines Vitamin B 12 Semicorrins (1997) |
| Doctoral advisor | Johann Mulzer |
| Other academic advisors | Richard Lerner Carlos F. Barbas III |
Benjamin List (born January 11, 1968) is a German chemist. He is a director at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research and a professor at the University of Cologne. He is famous for helping to create a new way to speed up chemical reactions called "organocatalysis."
In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with David MacMillan. They received the award for their work on "asymmetric organocatalysis." This discovery helps make chemistry more environmentally friendly and is very important for making new medicines.
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Early Life and Family
Benjamin List was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He comes from a family with many scientists and artists. His great-grandfather, Franz Volhard, was a famous heart doctor. His great-great-grandfather, Jacob Volhard, was a chemist.
His aunt, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, also won a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1995. She is his mother's sister.
Education and Career
Benjamin List studied chemistry at the Free University of Berlin, earning his first degree in 1993. He then got his PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt in 1997. His PhD work was about making a special part of Vitamin B 12.
After his studies, he worked as a researcher in the United States from 1997 to 2003. He was at the Scripps Research Institute in California.
In 2003, he came back to Germany. He became a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research. By 2005, he was made one of the directors there. He also teaches organic chemistry at the University of Cologne. Since 2018, he has also been a main researcher at Hokkaido University in Japan.
What is Organocatalysis?
Benjamin List is known as one of the people who started "organocatalysis." This is a special way to make chemical reactions happen faster and more efficiently.
How it Works
Normally, chemists use metals or special proteins called enzymes to speed up reactions. But organocatalysis uses small, simple organic molecules (molecules that contain carbon) as catalysts. These molecules do not contain metals and are not enzymes.
One important discovery Benjamin List made was using a simple amino acid called proline as a catalyst. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Proline can help join carbon atoms from different molecules together. This is very useful for creating new substances.
Why it's Important
Organocatalysis is very important for several reasons:
- Greener Chemistry: It often uses less harmful substances and creates less waste than older methods. This makes it better for the environment.
- Making Medicines: It helps create new drugs and other important chemicals more easily and safely. Many medicines need to be made in a very specific way, and organocatalysis helps achieve this.
- Chirality: Some molecules can exist in two forms that are mirror images of each other, like your left and right hands. This is called chirality. In medicines, often only one "hand" of the molecule works correctly. Organocatalysis helps make only the correct "hand" of the molecule.
Nobel Prize
On October 6, 2021, Benjamin List was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared it with David MacMillan. They won for their work on "asymmetric organocatalysis." The Nobel committee said their discovery has greatly helped pharmaceutical research and drug production. It has also made chemistry "greener."
Personal Life
Benjamin List is married to Sabine List, and they have two sons, Theo and Paul. In 2004, his family survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami while on vacation.
He believes in letting his children make some choices for themselves. He once said that if his 12-year-old wanted to eat ten chocolate bars, he would trust them to learn from the experience, even if he advised against it.
Awards and Recognition
Benjamin List has received many awards for his scientific work. Some of the most important ones include:
- 2016 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
- 2018 Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
- 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
See also
In Spanish: Benjamin List para niños
