Illustration of the US chemist William Knowles (1917-2012). Knowles is best known for his work on chiral catalysis. Chiral catalysts drive the product

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Illustration of the US chemist William Knowles (1917-2012). Knowles is best known for his work on chiral catalysis. Chiral catalysts drive the production of one of the two possible forms of a chiral molecule (a molecule that cannot be superposed on its mirror image). This directed catalysis can be particularly important in the production of pharmaceuticals, where one form may be beneficial and the other harmful. Knowles developed methods for using chiral catalysts during hydrogenation, reactions in which hydrogen gas is added to a chemical compound. Knowles was awarded a share of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work along with Karl Barry Sharpless and Ryoji Noyori.

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Size: 2616px × 3960px
Photo credit: © ***DEPENDS ON PIC***/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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