Karl Barry Sharpless facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Barry Sharpless
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Sharpless in 2018
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| Born |
Karl Barry Sharpless
April 28, 1941 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (BA) Stanford University (MS, PhD) |
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| Spouse(s) |
Jan Dueser
(m. 1965) |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Stereochemistry |
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| Thesis | Studies of the Mechanism of Action of 2,3-oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase: Featuring Enzymic Cyclization of Modified Squalene Oxides (1968) |
| Doctoral advisor | Eugene van Tamelen |
| Doctoral students | M.G. Finn |
| Other notable students | Undergrads:
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Karl Barry Sharpless (born April 28, 1941) is an American scientist who studies chemistry. He is famous for his work on special chemical reactions. He has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice!
In 2001, Dr. Sharpless won half of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This was for his work on "chirally catalysed oxidation reactions." These are special reactions that help make molecules with a specific 3D shape. In 2022, he won another Nobel Prize, sharing it with Carolyn R. Bertozzi and Morten P. Meldal. This time, it was for developing "click chemistry" and "bioorthogonal chemistry."
Dr. Sharpless is one of only five people to win a Nobel Prize more than once. He is also one of only three people to win two Nobel Prizes in the same science area.
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Early Life and Education
Karl Barry Sharpless was born on April 28, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent his childhood summers at his family's cottage in New Jersey. There, he developed a strong love for fishing. He even worked on fishing boats during his college summers.
He finished high school in 1959. Then, he went to Dartmouth College, where he earned a degree in 1963. Originally, he wanted to go to medical school. However, his research professor encouraged him to continue studying chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. (a high-level degree) in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University in 1968.
After getting his Ph.D., he did more research at Stanford and then at Harvard University. He studied how certain chemicals work together.
Academic Career
Dr. Sharpless taught as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1970 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1990. He also taught at Stanford University from 1977 to 1980. While at Stanford, he made an important discovery called the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation. This discovery helped create a specific chemical compound.
As of 2023, Dr. Sharpless leads a research lab at Scripps Research.
Important Discoveries in Chemistry
Dr. Sharpless developed special chemical reactions called "stereoselective oxidation reactions." These reactions help scientists build molecules with very precise 3D shapes. He showed that these reactions could make creating complex molecules much easier. Before his work, it was very difficult to make these specific shapes.
His discoveries include reactions like aminohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, and the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation. These methods have changed how chemists build new substances.
Nobel Prize for Oxidation Reactions
In 2001, Dr. Sharpless received half of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This was for his work on "chirally catalyzed oxidation reactions." These reactions help control the 3D shape of molecules. The other half of the prize that year went to William S. Knowles and Ryōji Noyori for their work on similar types of reactions.
What is Click Chemistry?
Around the year 2000, Dr. Sharpless came up with the idea of "click chemistry." He fully described it with his colleagues in 2001. Imagine building with LEGOs – click chemistry is a bit like that for molecules. It's a set of very efficient and simple chemical reactions. These reactions "click" molecules together quickly and easily, like snapping two pieces together. They work well under normal conditions and produce very few unwanted byproducts.
The most famous example of click chemistry is a reaction that forms a special ring-shaped molecule called a 1,2,3-triazole. This type of chemistry is now used widely in many areas, including medicine and materials science.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Sharpless has received many awards for his groundbreaking work.
He is a two-time Nobel Laureate, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001 and 2022. These prizes recognized his work on "chirally catalyzed oxidation reactions" and "click chemistry."
In 2001, he also won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry. This award recognized his pioneering work in creating asymmetric catalysis, which helps make new and important products.
In 2019, Dr. Sharpless was given the Priestley Medal. This is the highest honor from the American Chemical Society. It recognized his invention of catalytic oxidation methods and the concept of click chemistry. In 2023, he received the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Chemists.
He is also a Distinguished University Professor at Kyushu University in Japan. He has received honorary degrees from several universities around the world.
Personal Life
Karl Barry Sharpless married Jan Dueser in 1965. They have three children.
In 1970, shortly after he started teaching at MIT, he had a lab accident. An NMR tube exploded, and he lost sight in one eye. Because of this, Dr. Sharpless always emphasizes how important it is to wear safety glasses in the laboratory at all times.
See also
- In Spanish: Karl Barry Sharpless para niños
