Three molecular chemists win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
On October 9, three molecular chemists, Austrian-American Martin Karplus, British-American Michael Levitt and American-Israeli dual citizen Arieh Warshel, became co-winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research in developing multiscale computer models capable of simulating reaction processes and complex chemical systems.
Because chemical reactions occur at such a rapid pace, the Nobel Prize committee said the work allows scientists to use computer programs to visualize and analyze the structures of complex molecules in detail, such as explaining which chemical processes can clean up exhaust fumes or how photosynthesis occurs in leaves.
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| (Source: AFP/VNA) |
This allows researchers to understand and predict complex chemical reactions that can occur in a fraction of a millisecond. The discovery also lays the foundation for chemical reaction prediction and research programs that can be applied in the pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.
Karplus is 83, Levitt is 66 and Warshel is 72. All three work at universities in the United States. The three co-winners will share the 8 million Swedish kronor ($1.25 million) prize, a reduction from previous years due to the global economic downturn.
Traditionally, the laureates will receive their awards at a formal ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10, the anniversary of the death of prize founder Alfred Nobel.
The 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to two American scientists, Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka, for their research that identified a class of cell sensors, revealing the secrets of how the body works at the molecular level./.
According to (Vietnam+)- VT
