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Robert Grubbs

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Robert H. Grubbs
Born(1942-02-27)February 27, 1942
NationalityUnited States
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materUniversity of Florida
Columbia University
Known forthe development of the metathesis
method in organic synthesis
AwardsNobel Prize in Chemistry (2005)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic Chemistry
InstitutionsCalifornia Institute of Technology

Robert H. Grubbs (born 27 February 1942 in Possum Trot, Kentucky) is an American chemist. He won Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2005.

Birth and education

In his Nobel Prize autobiography he says, "In some places, my birthplace is listed as Calvert City, Kentucky and in others Possum Trot (both in Marshall County). I was actually born between the two, so either one really is correct." He spent his early childhood in Marshall County and attended public school at McKinley Elementary, Franklin Junior High and Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Kentucky. Grubbs studied chemistry at the University of Florida where he was awarded a B.S. and an M.S.. He worked with Merle Battiste in Florida University, and Columbia University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1968. He was taught by Ronald Breslow in Columbia.

He next spent a year with James Collman at Stanford University. He was then made part of the faculty at Michigan State University. In 1978 he moved to California Institute of Technology where he still works as the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry.

His main interest is for organometallic chemistry and organic chemistry. These interests are for catalysts, such as Grubbs' catalyst for olefin metathesis and ring-opening metathesis polymerization and norbornene. He also produced some important work on "living polymerization".

Awards

Grubbs received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Richard R. Schrock and Yves Chauvin, for his work in the field of olefin metathesis.

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