Ryoji Noyori 54420 218293499 2008-06-10T00:10:40Z Dogcow 318567 add name= {{Infobox Scientist |name = Ryoji Noyori |box_width = |image = Noyori small.jpg |image_width = 180 px |caption = |birth_date = September 3, 1938 |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |residence = |citizenship = [[Japan]] |nationality = |ethnicity = |field = |work_institutions = |alma_mater = |doctoral_advisor = |doctoral_students = |known_for = |author_abbrev_bot = |author_abbrev_zoo = |influences = |influenced = |prizes = [[Image:Nobel_prize_medal.svg|20px]] [[Nobel Prize for Chemistry]] (2001) |religion = |footnotes = |signature = }} {{nihongo|'''Ryoji Noyori'''|野依良治|Noyori Ryōji}} (born [[September 3]], [[1938]]) is a Japanese chemist. He won the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in [[2001]]. Noyori shared half of the prize with [[William S. Knowles]] for the study of chirally catalyzed hydrogenations; the second half of the Prize went to [[K. Barry Sharpless]] for his study in chirally catalyzed oxidation reactions ([[Sharpless epoxidation]]). Ryoji Noyori was born in [[Kobe, Japan]]. He became fascinated with chemistry at the age of 12, after hearing a presentation on [[nylon]]. He saw the power of chemistry as being the ability to "make high values from almost nothing". He became a student at [[Kyoto University]], working as an instructor in the research group of [[Hotosi Nozaki]] before being appointed associate professor at [[Nagoya University]]. After postdoctoral work with [[Elias J. Corey]] at [[Harvard University|Harvard]] he returned to Nagoya, becoming a full professor in 1972. He is still based at Nagoya, though he is also now president of [[RIKEN]], a multi-site national research initiative with an annual budget of $800 million. In 2005, Noyori became Honorary Doctor at [[Technical University of Munich]] and [[RWTH Aachen University]], Germany. Noyori believes strongly in the power of [[catalysis]] and of [[green chemistry]]; in a recent article he argues for the pursuit of "practical elegance in synthesis".<ref>R. Noyori, ''Pursuing practical elegance in chemical synthesis'', [[Chemical Communications]], '''2005''' (''14''), 1807 - 1811. [http://www.rsc.org/publishing/journals/CC/article.asp?doi=b502713f Abstract]</ref> In this article he states that "''our ability to devise straightforward and practical chemical syntheses is indispensable to the survival of our species.''" Elsewhere he has said that "''Research is for nations and mankind, not for researchers themselves.''" He encourages scientists to be politically active- "''Researchers must spur public opinions and government policies toward constructing the [[sustainable development|sustainable society]] in the 21st century.''"<ref>Keynote address, [[June 23]] [[2005]], at the ''Second International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry'', Washington DC.</ref> Noyori is currently a chairman of the Education Rebuilding Council, which was set up by Japan's PM [[Shinzo Abe]] after he came to power in 2006 [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070120a1.html]. == Chemistry == Noyori is most famous for [[asymmetric hydrogenation]] using as [[catalyst]]s [[Complex (chemistry)|complexes]] of [[rhodium]] and [[ruthenium]], particularly those based on the [[BINAP]] [[ligand]]. (See [[Noyori asymmetric hydrogenation]]) Asymmetric [[hydrogenation]] of an [[alkene]] in the presence of ((''S'')-[[BINAP]])Ru([[Acetate|OAc]])<sub>2</sub> is used for the commercial production of enantiomerically pure (97% [[Enantiomeric excess|ee]]) [[naproxen]], used as an [[anti-inflammatory]] drug. The [[anti-bacterial]] agent [[levofloxacin]] is manufactured by asymmetric [[hydrogenation]] of [[ketone]]s in the presence of a Ru(II) BINAP halide complex. He has also worked on other [[asymmetric synthesis|asymmetric processes]]. Each year 400 000 [[tonnes]] of [[menthol]] are produced (in 94% [[Enantiomeric excess|ee]]) by [[Takasago International]] Co., using Noyori's method for [[isomerisation]] of [[allyl]]ic [[amine]]s. <imagemap> Image:Menthol synthesis.png| rect 6 14 131 92 [[myrcene|myrcene]] rect 136 46 201 63 [[diethylamine|diethylamine]] rect 468 110 628 180 [[citronellal|citronellal]] rect 387 112 458 135 [[zinc bromide|zinc bromide]] rect 95 97 223 209 [[menthol|menthol]] desc bottom-left #Notes: #Details on the new coding for clickable images is here: [[mw:Extension:ImageMap]] #[http://tools.wikimedia.de/~dapete/ImageMapEdit/ImageMapEdit.html?en This image editor] was used. </imagemap> More recently he and [[Philip J. Jessop|Jessop]] have developed an industrial process for the manufacture of ''N,N''-[[dimethylformamide]] from [[hydrogen]], [[dimethylamine]] and [[Supercritical fluid|supercritical]] [[carbon dioxide]] in the presence of {{Ruthenium}}{{Chlorine}}<sub>2</sub>(P[[Methyl|Me]]<sub>3</sub>)<sub>4</sub> as catalyst.<ref> P. G. Jessop; W. Leitner (Eds.), ''Chemical Synthesis using Supercritical Fluids'', VCH/Wiley, Weinheim, 1999.</ref> ==Selected works in English== *''Organic synthesis in Japan : past, present, and future : in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan'' / editor in chief, Ryoji Noyori (1992) *''Asymmetric catalysis in organic synthesis''(1994) ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== * [http://www.jce.divched.org/JCEWWW/Features/eChemists/document.php?chemid=47 Biographical snapshots: Ryoji Noyori,] ''Journal of Chemical Education'' web site. ==See also== * [[The Ryoji Noyori Prize]] == External links== *[http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/2001/noyori-lecture.pdf Ryoji Noyori Nobel lecture (2001)] *[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2001/noyori-autobio.html Autobiography] *[http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/matthey/pmr/2002/00000046/00000002/art00011 T. J. Colacot, ''Platinum Metals Review'' '''2002''', ''46(2)'', 82-83.] {{DEFAULTSORT:Noyori, Ryoji}} {{Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates 2001-2025}} {{Wolf Prize in Chemistry}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:Members of the National Academy of Sciences]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Kobe]] [[Category:Kyoto University alumni]] [[Category:Japanese chemists]] [[Category:Nobel laureates in Chemistry]] [[Category:Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates]] [[Category:Foreign Members of the Royal Society]] [[Category:Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences|Noyori]] [[Category:Japanese Nobel laureates|Noyori]] [[ar:ريوجي نويوري]] [[ca:Ryoji Noyori]] [[de:Ryoji Noyori]] [[es:Ryoji Noyori]] [[eo:Ryoji Noyori]] [[fr:Ryōji Noyori]] [[io:Ryoji Noyori]] [[id:Ryoji Noyori]] [[it:Ryoji Noyori]] [[ja:野依良治]] [[oc:Ryoji Noyori]] [[pl:Ryōji Noyori]] [[pt:Ryoji Noyori]] [[ro:Ryoji Noyori]] [[fi:Ryōji Noyori]] [[sv:Ryoji Noyori]] [[zh:野依良治]]