Dutchman Feringa wins Nobel prize for Chemistry – The Guardian

The Dutch researcher and professor Ben Feringa has the Nobel prize for Chemistry won. Together with Jean-Pierre Sauvage and James-Frazer Stoddard, with whom he made the award shares, he did research on molecular nanomachines. The 65-year-old Feringa is professor at the University of Groningen.

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The Royal Swedish Academy of Science in Stockholm, today announced that Feringa is the price, which on december 10 will be awarded in Stockholm, has won. According to the committee, developed the three smallest machines of the world’.

Feringa built in 1999 as the first a so-called nanomotor, a light-driven rotating molecule that is seen as a discovery that offers a lot of possibilities. Thereof there followed sixty. In 2014 perfected he. His nanomachines make in 2016, and three million rotations per second. Sauvage and Stoddard do the research for the work of Feringa.

Catalyst
Also, Feringa builder of highly selective catalysts. This work is so accurate that a molecule and the mirror image of that molecule apart. For the development of new medicines this is of great importance because one molecule can be lethal, while the variant correctly can save lives.

in Drenthe born Feringa was in 1988 in Groningen professor of organic chemistry. Thanks to him, the University of Groningen in Europe is seen as the top in the field of chemistry. Ten years after his appointment was Feringa knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion.

Surprised
Feringa is surprised by the high honour. ,,I didn’t know what I had to say and was a bit shocked, because it is a big surprise. In a second reaction, I felt so honored that it made me miserable.” He says the grant to go celebrate with the chemists, with whom he was awarded the Nobel prize 2016 shares.

Prime minister Mark Rutte called the election of Feringa on Twitter ‘fantastic news’. Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs added that the great news is that a Dutch toponderzoeker the Nobel prize win’. ,,A great compliment for Feringa and his team. This is the strength of Dutch expertise.”

Nobel prize
, The entire week is in the sign of the Nobel prize. Monday won the Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi in the prize for medicine. Yesterday won a British trio the Nobel prize for Physics. The Nobel prize for Peace Friday issued. Next week, the prizes for economics and literature.

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