On the last day of the Nobel science announcements, at 6:45 p.m. on the 8th, the winner of the chemistry prize, awarded to a scientist who contributed to advances in chemistry, will be revealed. Last year's Nobel Prize in chemistry went to technologies in protein structure prediction and design.
Clarivate, an international scholarly information analytics company, selects Nobel-caliber researchers each year ahead of the Nobel announcements based on citation counts and provides a list. In the chemistry field this year, five Citation Laureates were named across three topics: principles of molecular organization inside cells, energy storage and conversion technologies, and single-atom catalysis research.
Clifford P. Brangwynne, a professor at Princeton University in the United States, Anthony Hyman, a professor at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany, and Michael Rosen, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the United States, drew attention for their research on "biomolecular condensates," which elucidates the principles of molecular assembly inside cells.
They identified the mechanisms of chemical interactions in molecular assemblies not enclosed by membranes, contributing to understanding how cells efficiently organize molecules and regulate functions. This research has strong potential for applications in medicine, including neurodegenerative diseases.
Jean-Marie Tarascon, a professor of materials and energy chemistry at the Collège de France in France, led the development of next-generation energy storage devices such as secondary batteries and lithium-ion batteries, contributing to the energy transition. His research is regarded as foundational technology essential for the expansion of renewable energy and the spread of electric vehicles.
Tao Zhang, a professor at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, opened the door to designing chemical reactions that are more efficient and precise than conventional catalysts through research on single-atom catalysts. This is drawing attention as an innovative achievement in sustainable chemistry and energy efficiency.
The Wolf Prize, called the "preliminary Nobel" in the scientific community, is considered a gateway to the Nobel. The prize is awarded by the Wolf Foundation, established by Israel's Ricardo Wolf. The chemistry winner of the Wolf Prize announced in Mar. was Helmut Schwarz, a professor at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany, recognized for contributions to the development of tailor-made catalysts and improvements in the analytical power of mass spectrometry.
The Wolf Prize is regarded as a key indicator for gauging future Nobel laureates, especially in chemistry. According to an analysis by Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, about one-third of the Wolf Prize winners in chemistry later received the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
William E. Moerner, a professor at Stanford University in the United States, received the Wolf Prize in 2008 for research in the optical detection and spectroscopy of single molecules and then won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2014, and Carolyn R. Bertozzi, a professor at Stanford University, won both the Wolf Prize and the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2022 for research in "bioorthogonal chemistry," which controls chemical reactions in living systems.