Chemistry Nobel laureate Robert Grubbs dies at 79
US chemist shared 2005 prize for his role in developing the metathesis method in organic synthesis
Robert Grubbs, who jointly won the 2005 chemistry Nobel prize for his work on olefin metathesis, has passed away aged 79. Grubbs received the prize for discovering how robust, air-stable metal compounds catalyse reactions that break and rearrange double bonds between carbon atoms. Since the 1990s, Grubbs’ catalysts have been a staple for synthetic organic chemists in drug discovery and fine chemicals production.