Three Scientists Share 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to American Richard Heck and Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki, born Japanese citizens, said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Wednesday, CRI's correspondent in Stockholm, Chen Xuefei reports.

Staffan Normark, Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made the announcement.

"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2010 to Richard F. Heck, University of Delaware, USA, Ei-ichi Negishi, Purdue University, USA and Akira Suzuki Hokkaido University, Japan. The Nobel Committee's citation is 'for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis'."

The Nobel committee said this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry awards one of the most sophisticated tools available to chemists today.

The laureates were awarded for the development of palladium-catalyzed cross coupling.

This is a very important chemical tool which has vastly improved the possibilities for chemists to create sophisticated chemicals, for example carbon-based molecules.

It has given mankind new medicines and revolutionary materials such as plastics.

The Nobel committee said that Palladium-catalyzed cross coupling provided chemists with a more precise and efficient tool to work with.

This tool has been used in research worldwide, as well as in the commercial production of for example pharmaceuticals and molecules used in the electronics industry.

The Nobel Committee said that the three have worked independently, thus they will equally share the 10 million Swedish kronor or about1.5 million US dollar prize.

Negishi told reporters over the phone that he has been seeking this since he came to America, as one of the goals for his research.

" I was extremely happy, I would tell a lie if I say I wasn't thinking of it. I have dreamed of this prize when I came to America where I encountered several Nobel Laureates in Pennsylvania."

Negishi is a Japanese citizen but was born in 1935 in Changchun, Northeast China, where the Japanese occupied then. Later he moved to America.

The Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced on Thursday. The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10th.

For CRI, Chen Xuefei, Stockholm.