In news

The 2021 in Chemistry was on Wednesday awarded to German scientist Benjamin List and Scotland-born scientist David WC MacMillan “for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.”

Highlights

• The new catalysts, derived from naturally-occurring chemicals, were greener and cheaper, and ensured that the end product of the chemical reaction was of a specific variety — and did not need to go through a purification process to yield the desired type of compound.
• Its uses include research into new pharmaceuticals and it has also helped make chemistry greener.

Catalyst

• When two or more compounds react to form new compounds, the process is often aided by other chemicals called catalyst that do not change themselves, but help speed up the reaction. 
• These catalysts have been known at least since the middle of the 19th century, and are used in virtually every chemical process these days.

Organo-catalysis

• List and MacMillan, both 53, started experimenting with simple organic compounds.
• Organic compounds are mostly naturally-occurring substances, built around a framework of carbon atoms and usually containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, or phosphorus.
• Life-supporting chemicals like proteins, which are long chains of amino acids (carbon compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen) are organic.
• Enzymes are also proteins, and therefore, organic compounds.

Source: The Hindu, Indian Express