Trio gets Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing 'metal-organic frameworks'
What's the story
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi for their work in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are materials that combine metal ions with organic molecules to form ordered and porous crystals. "I'm deeply honoured and delighted, thank you very much," said Kitagawa to Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences after receiving the news. "How long do I have to stay here? Because I have to go out for a meeting," he added.
Advancement
Applications of the MOFs
These crystalline structures, which are similar to diamonds filled with innumerable holes, have the ability to capture carbon dioxide to tackle climate change, extract water from the desert air, and even store toxic gases. Robson's early experiments in 1989 showed how copper ions could be linked with a four-armed molecule. This simple but revolutionary method laid the groundwork for MOFs and their use in gas storage, catalysis, environmental remediation and more.
Historical perspective
Chemistry Nobel awarded to 197 laureates
The Chemistry Nobel has been awarded 116 times to 197 laureates since its inception in 1901. The youngest recipient was Frederic Joliot at the age of 35 in 1935, while the oldest was John B. Goodenough at 97 in 2019. The 2024 award went to David Baker for his work on computational protein design, while Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper shared the other half for their contributions to the prediction of protein structure.
List
A look at the other Nobel awards
Yesterday, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for their work on 'quantum tunneling.' The day before, Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Looking ahead, there's the Literature Prize tomorrow and the Peace Prize on Friday. The awards finish with the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics on October 13.