Karl Barry Sharpless
| Karl Barry Sharpless | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 28, 1941 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Scripps Research Institute |
| Alma mater |
Dartmouth College Stanford University Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | Eugene van Tamelen |
| Known for | enantioselective synthesis, click chemistry |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2001) Wolf Prize (2001) Benjamin Franklin Medal (2001) Rylander Award (2000) Chemical Sciences Award (2000) Chirality Medal (2000) Rhone Poulenc Medal (2000) Harvey Prize (1998) Microbial Chemistry Medal (1997) King Faisal International Prize (1995) Cliff Hamilton Award (1995) Tetrahedron Prize (1993) Centenary Lectureship Medal (1993) Arthur C. Cope Award (1992) Scheele Award (1991) Chemical Pioneer Award (1988) Dr. Paul Janssen Prize (1986) Allan Day Award (1985) |
Karl Barry Sharpless (born April 28, 1941) is an American chemist known for his work on stereoselective reactions. He is a recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Sharpless was born April 28, 1941 in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from Friends' Central School in 1959. He continued his studies at Dartmouth College earning a B.A. in 1963 and a Ph.D in chemistry from Stanford University in 1968. He continued post-doctoral work at Stanford University (1968–1969) and Harvard University.(1969–1970). He holds honorary degrees from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (1995) Technical University of Munich (1995), Catholic University Louvain, Belgium (1996) and Weselyan University (1999). He was blinded in one eye during a lab accident in 1970, shortly after he arrived at MIT as an assistant professor.
Sharpless has been a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1970–1977, 1980–1990) and Stanford University (1977–1980) He currently holds the W. M. Keck professorship in chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute (1990-)
Sharpless developed stereoselective oxidation reactions, and showed that the formation of an inhibitor with femtomolar potency can be catalyzed by the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, beginning with an azide and an alkyne. He discovered several chemical reactions which have transformed asymmetric synthesis from science fiction to the relatively routine, including aminohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, and the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation.
In 2001 he won a half-share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on chirally catalysed oxidation reactions (Sharpless epoxidation, Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation, Sharpless oxyamination). The other half of the year's Prize was shared between William S. Knowles and Ryōji Noyori (for their work on stereoselective hydrogenation).
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