Jean-Marie Lehn
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Jean-Marie Lehn
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1987
Born: 30 September 1939, Rosheim, France
Affiliation at the time of the award: Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France; Collège de France, Paris, France
Prize motivation: “for their development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions of high selectivity”
Prize share: 1/3
Work
Chemical reactions often occur through the influence of molecules that have cavities and pockets where other atoms and molecules can be attached to then join with other molecules. After Charles Pedersen discovered crown ethers, molecules that can capture certain metallic atoms, Jean-Marie Lehn found related molecules in 1969 that he called cryptands. They can capture certain types of molecules, making it possible to create chemical compounds through chemical reactions that have a significant impact on biological processes.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
