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Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Winners List 1901–2024

Nobel Prize in Chemistry at a Glance (1901–2024): For UPSC, SSC & Other Competitive Exams

📘 Note to Readers

Before diving into chemistry, you might also want to check out my earlier post on physics:
🔗 Nobel Prize in Physics Winners & Breakthroughs (1901–2024)
It offers a similar timeline-based guide designed especially for learners and exam aspirants.

Now, let’s explore the trailblazers of chemistry!

Thank you for exploring this comprehensive Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List (1901–2024). This post is a tribute to the brilliant minds whose discoveries transformed science, technology, and medicine.

Whether you are preparing for UPSC, SSC, State PCS, or any other competitive exam—or are simply passionate about science—this guide aims to serve as a concise yet comprehensive knowledge resource. From the earliest atomic theories to today’s breakthroughs in nanoscience, chemical biology, and sustainable chemistry, this timeline charts the evolution of one of science’s most dynamic fields.

This compilation is designed to be academically useful, historically accurate, and easily accessible. If you find it informative, do consider sharing it with fellow learners. Your suggestions and feedback are always appreciated!

📩 Feedback is welcome at: arun7663@gmail.com

Let this post be more than a record—let it ignite curiosity and admiration for the wonders of chemistry and those who dedicate their lives to discovering them.

Warm regards,
arunsingha
Author & Curator of this Post
🌐 https://arunsingha.in

 Era 1: 1901–1930 — Nobel Chemistry Discoveries & Foundations

Early Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry (1901–1915) including Jacobus van 't Hoff, Emil Fischer, Marie Curie, Svante Arrhenius, Henri Moissan, Ernest Rutherford, Wilhelm Ostwald, Victor Grignard, Alfred Werner, and Richard Willstätter — pioneers in atomic theory, chemical structure, and radiation research.

🧪 Era 1A: Chemistry Nobel Laureates :1901–1915 — Birth of Modern Chemical Thought

The beginning of the 20th century witnessed chemistry emerge as a rigorous science, marked by groundbreaking discoveries in atomic theory, chemical bonding, and organic synthesis.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1901 Jacobus Henricus van ‘t Hoff Netherlands Laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions
1902 Hermann Emil Fischer Germany Sugar and purine synthesis (organic chemistry foundations)
1903 Svante Arrhenius Sweden Electrolytic dissociation theory and ionic conductivity
1904 Sir William Ramsay UK Discovery of noble gases (argon, neon, krypton, xenon)
1905 Adolf von Baeyer Germany Synthesis of indigo and dye chemistry
1906 Henri Moissan France Isolation of fluorine; electric arc furnace
1907 Eduard Buchner Germany Cell-free fermentation (enzymology begins)
1908 Ernest Rutherford UK Radioactive decay and atomic structure
1909 Wilhelm Ostwald Germany Catalysis, chemical equilibria, reaction velocities
1910 Otto Wallach Germany Alicyclic compounds and essential oils
1911 Marie Curie France Radium, polonium, and radioactivity research
1912 Victor Grignard & Paul Sabatier France Grignard reagents; catalytic hydrogenation
1913 Alfred Werner Switzerland Coordination compounds and modern inorganic chemistry
1914 Theodore William Richards USA Precise atomic weight measurements
1915 Richard Willstätter Germany Plant pigments, especially chlorophyll

🧾 Note: No Chemistry Nobel was awarded in 1916 and 1917 due to World War I.


Historic Nobel Laureates in Chemistry (1918–1935) — featuring Fritz Haber, Walther Nernst, Frederick Soddy, Francis Aston, and others who advanced atomic theory, catalysis, and biochemistry. A visual tribute to early 20th-century pioneers in the history of Nobel Prize-winning chemistry.

🧪 Era 1B: 1918–1930 — Expanding Frontiers in Chemical Sciences

Post–World War I, chemistry broadened to include thermodynamics, radioactivity, microanalysis, and biochemistry—laying foundations for future breakthroughs in both industry and medicine.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1918 Fritz Haber Germany Ammonia synthesis (Haber process)
1920 Walther Nernst Germany Thermodynamics and the Nernst heat theorem
1921 Frederick Soddy UK Isotopes and radioactivity
1922 Francis Aston UK Mass spectrograph and isotopes
1923 Fritz Pregl Austria Microanalysis for organic compounds
1925 Richard Zsigmondy Germany Colloids and ultramicroscope studies
1927 Heinrich Wieland Germany Bile acids and complex natural substances
1928 Adolf Windaus Germany Sterols and vitamin D
1929 Arthur Harden & Hans von Euler-Chelpin UK & Sweden Fermentation and enzymatic activity
1930 Hans Fischer Germany Structures of hemin and chlorophyll

These early years in the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List laid the scientific foundation upon which all future chemistry innovations were built.


🌍 Bridging Era 1 and Era 2: Nobel Prize in Chemistry

From the foundations of modern chemistry to applications in daily life

As we move forward from the foundational years of chemistry, the next part of this Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List (1901–2024) brings us into a period of molecular mastery and biochemical breakthroughs. From 1931 to 1960, Nobel-winning chemists deepened our understanding of life’s processes.


Nobel Prize in Chemistry Breakthroughs (1931–1960)

⚗️ Era 2A: 1931–1955 — War, Discovery & the Rise of Biochemistry

Despite the turmoil of World War II, this era witnessed remarkable chemical discoveries—from nuclear chemistry and polymers to the birth of biochemical analysis and structural chemistry.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1931 No Nobel Prize awarded
1932 Irving Langmuir USA Surface chemistry
1934 Harold Urey USA Discovery of deuterium
1935 Frédéric & Irène Joliot-Curie France Artificial radioactivity
1936 Peter Debye Netherlands Dipole moments and X-ray diffraction
1937 Norman Haworth & Paul Karrer UK & Switzerland Carbohydrates, Vitamin C, plant pigments
1938 Richard Kuhn Germany Carotenoids and vitamins
1939 Adolf Butenandt & Lavoslav Ružička Germany & Switzerland Sex hormones and polymethylenes/terpenes
1940 No Nobel Prize awarded
1941 No Nobel Prize awarded
1943 George de Hevesy Hungary Isotopic tracers in biochemistry
1944 Otto Hahn Germany Nuclear fission
1945 Artturi Virtanen Finland Agricultural and nutrition chemistry
1946 James Sumner, John Northrop & Wendell Stanley USA Enzyme purification and viruses
1947 Sir Robert Robinson UK Plant alkaloids and organic synthesis
1948 Arne Tiselius Sweden Electrophoresis and serum protein studies
1949 William Giauque USA Properties of matter near absolute zero
1950 Otto Diels & Kurt Alder Germany Diels–Alder reaction (organic synthesis)
1951 Edwin McMillan & Glenn Seaborg USA Transuranium elements
1952 Archer Martin & Richard Synge UK Partition chromatography
1953 Hermann Staudinger Germany Macromolecules and polymers
1954 Linus Pauling USA Nature of the chemical bond
1955 Vincent du Vigneaud USA Sulfur compounds, especially biotin

🧾 Note: Nobel Prizes were not awarded in 1931, 1940, and 1941 due to global instability.


⚗️ Era 2B: 1956–1960 — Unlocking Molecular Structures

As peace returned, so did a wave of innovation. These years were marked by deeper understanding of complex molecules, reaction mechanisms, and solid-state chemistry.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1956 Sir Cyril Hinshelwood & Nikolay Semenov UK & USSR Chemical kinetics and chain reactions
1957 Lord Alexander Todd UK Nucleotides and nucleic acids
1958 Frederick Sanger UK Structure of insulin (first protein sequenced)
1959 Jaroslav Heyrovský Czechoslovakia Polarography and electrochemical analysis
1960 Willard Libby USA Radiocarbon dating technique

This chapter of the Chemistry Nobel laureates timeline reveals how chemistry became deeply connected to the life sciences and human health.


🔬 Bridging Era 2 and Era 3

Transitioning into molecular biology and structural chemistry

The third phase in our Chemistry Nobel Prize timeline (1961–1990) showcases how chemistry shaped the modern world, influencing medicine, synthetic materials, and energy. This segment of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List reveals the rising complexity and application of chemical science.


🧪 Era 3A: 1961–1975 — Molecular Frontiers & Analytical Breakthroughs

This period deepened our understanding of molecular biology, bonding theories, and powerful analytical methods like NMR and X-ray crystallography.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1961 Melvin Calvin USA Photosynthesis and the Calvin cycle
1962 Max Perutz & John Kendrew UK Structure of hemoglobin and myoglobin
1963 Karl Ziegler & Giulio Natta Germany & Italy Polymers and Ziegler–Natta catalysts
1964 Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin UK X-ray structures of penicillin and vitamin B₁₂
1965 Robert Burns Woodward USA Complex organic synthesis
1966 Robert Mulliken USA Molecular orbital theory
1967 Manfred Eigen, Ronald Norrish & George Porter Germany & UK Ultrafast chemical reactions
1968 Lars Onsager USA Thermodynamics of irreversible processes
1969 Derek Barton & Odd Hassel UK & Norway Conformational analysis and molecular geometry
1970 Luis Federico Leloir Argentina Sugar nucleotides and carbohydrate metabolism
1971 Gerhard Herzberg Canada Electronic structures of molecules
1972 Christian Anfinsen, Stanford Moore & William Stein USA Protein structure and enzyme catalysis
1973 Ernst Otto Fischer & Geoffrey Wilkinson Germany & UK Organometallic sandwich compounds
1974 Paul Flory USA Polymers and macromolecular chemistry
1975 John Cornforth UK Stereochemistry in enzymatic reactions

🧪 Era 3B: 1976–1990 — Biochemistry, Surfaces & Supramolecular Chemistry

The closing years of this era saw chemistry going beyond traditional boundaries—into bioenergetics, interfacial science, and molecules that “self-assemble.”

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1976 William Lipscomb USA Boranes and chemical bonding
1977 Ilya Prigogine Belgium Thermodynamics of non-equilibrium systems
1978 Peter Mitchell UK Chemiosmotic theory and ATP synthesis
1979 Herbert Brown & Georg Wittig USA & Germany Organoboranes and Wittig reactions
1980 Paul Berg, Walter Gilbert & Frederick Sanger USA & UK Recombinant DNA and sequencing methods
1981 Kenichi Fukui & Roald Hoffmann Japan & USA Frontier molecular orbital theory
1982 Aaron Klug UK Electron microscopy and nucleic acid-protein structures
1983 Henry Taube USA Electron transfer in metal complexes
1984 Robert Bruce Merrifield USA Solid-phase peptide synthesis
1985 Herbert Hauptman & Jerome Karle USA X-ray crystallography improvements
1986 Dudley Herschbach, Yuan T. Lee & John Polanyi USA & Canada Dynamics of chemical reactions
1987 Donald Cram, Jean-Marie Lehn & Charles Pedersen USA & France Supramolecular chemistry and host–guest systems
1988 Johann Deisenhofer, Robert Huber & Hartmut Michel Germany Structure of photosynthetic reaction centers
1989 Sidney Altman & Thomas Cech USA Catalytic RNA (ribozymes)
1990 Elias Corey USA Organic synthesis methodology (retrosynthetic analysis)
With a surge in molecular biology, material science, and computational techniques, this part of the Nobel chemistry contributions list marked an era of specialization and innovation.

🌱 Bridging Era 3 and Era 4

The rise of sustainability, nanotech, and genetic chemistry

With the 1990s came a transformative shift in chemistry. No longer confined to isolated labs, chemists began collaborating globally to tackle real-world challenges like climate change, disease, and energy. This marked the start of a new era—where innovations such as molecular machines, CRISPR gene editing, green chemistry, and click reactions expanded the scope of chemistry into medicine, biology, and environmental science. As a result, the field became more collaborative, impactful, and central to solving urgent global problems. The most recent Nobel Prizes in Chemistry reflect this evolution, highlighting research driven by sustainability and interdisciplinary goals. Let’s now explore the key breakthroughs from 1991 to 2024.


Era 4: 1991–2024 — Nobel-Winning Chemists & Molecular Innovations

🧪 Era 4A: 1991–2005 — Nobel Prize in Chemistry for a Sustainable & Molecular Future

As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, chemistry embraced green technologies, biomolecular structures, and smarter synthesis — transforming healthcare, industry, and environmental science.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
1991 Richard Ernst Switzerland High-resolution NMR spectroscopy
1992 Rudolph Marcus USA Electron transfer theory in chemical reactions
1993 Kary Mullis & Michael Smith USA & Canada PCR technique and site-directed mutagenesis
1994 George Olah USA Carbocations and superacids
1995 Paul Crutzen, Mario Molina & Frank Rowland Netherlands, Mexico & USA Ozone depletion chemistry
1996 Robert Curl, Harold Kroto & Richard Smalley USA & UK Fullerenes (buckyballs)
1997 Paul Boyer, John Walker & Jens Skou USA, UK & Denmark ATP synthesis and ion pumps
1998 Walter Kohn & John Pople USA & UK Computational chemistry (DFT & quantum calculations)
1999 Ahmed Zewail USA Femtochemistry (observing chemical reactions in real time)
2000 Alan Heeger, Alan MacDiarmid & Hideki Shirakawa USA, NZ & Japan Conductive polymers
2001 William Knowles, Ryōji Noyori & K. Barry Sharpless USA & Japan Asymmetric synthesis and chirality in catalysts
2002 John Fenn, Koichi Tanaka & Kurt Wüthrich USA, Japan & Switzerland Mass spectrometry and NMR in biochemistry
2003 Peter Agre & Roderick MacKinnon USA Aquaporins and ion channels in cell membranes
2004 Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko & Irwin Rose Israel & USA Ubiquitin system for protein degradation
2005 Yves Chauvin, Robert Grubbs & Richard Schrock France & USA Metathesis reactions in organic chemistry

The most recent entries in the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List (1901–2024) showcase a chemistry that is more interdisciplinary, global, and environmentally conscious than ever before.


🧪 Era 4B: 2006–2024 — Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the Age of Nanotech, Genetics & Sustainability

This dynamic phase redefined chemistry’s role in solving real-world challenges — from molecular machines and click chemistry to lithium batteries and genome editing.

Year Laureate(s) Country Discovery / Contribution
2006 Roger Kornberg USA Transcription in eukaryotes
2007 Gerhard Ertl Germany Surface chemistry and catalysis
2008 Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie & Roger Tsien Japan & USA Green fluorescent protein (GFP)
2009 Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz & Ada Yonath USA, UK & Israel Structure of the ribosome
2010 Richard Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi & Akira Suzuki USA & Japan Palladium-catalyzed cross couplings
2011 Dan Shechtman Israel Discovery of quasicrystals
2012 Robert Lefkowitz & Brian Kobilka USA G protein–coupled receptors
2013 Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt & Arieh Warshel USA, UK & Israel Multiscale computer simulations
2014 Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell & William Moerner USA & Germany Super-resolved fluorescence microscopy
2015 Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich & Aziz Sancar Sweden, USA & Turkey DNA repair mechanisms
2016 Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart & Bernard Feringa France, UK & Netherlands Molecular machines
2017 Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank & Richard Henderson Switzerland, Germany & UK Cryo-electron microscopy
2018 Frances Arnold, George Smith & Gregory Winter USA & UK Directed evolution and phage display
2019 John Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham & Akira Yoshino USA, UK & Japan Lithium-ion batteries
2020 Emmanuelle Charpentier & Jennifer Doudna France & USA CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing
2021 Benjamin List & David MacMillan Germany & USA Organocatalysis
2022 Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal & K. Barry Sharpless USA & Denmark Click chemistry and bioorthogonal reactions
2023 Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus & Alexei Ekimov USA & Russia Quantum dots
2024 Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Katalin Karikó & Drew Weissman USA & Hungary Chemical biology advances in mRNA technology (vaccine-related)
In recent decades, the most recent entries in the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List (1901–2024) have showcased a chemistry that is increasingly interdisciplinary, global, and environmentally conscious like never before.

🎉 That’s the full journey — from van ’t Hoff to CRISPR and quantum dots!

🔗 References & Further Reading: Nobel Prize discoveries in chemistry.

For readers who wish to dive deeper into the discoveries, laureates, and ongoing impact of chemistry Nobel Prizes, here are some trusted resources:

Colorful chemistry illustration featuring flasks, test tubes, molecular structures, chemical formulas, CRISPR DNA strand, and a green leaf symbolizing biochemistry and Nobel Prize innovations.

Closing Note | समापन टट्पणी:

This full Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners List (1901–2024) is dedicated to all students, learners, and jobseekers passionate about expanding their scientific knowledge. May this inspire your journey toward understanding the power of chemistry and the Nobel-winning chemists who shaped our modern world.

यह पोस्ट उन सभी विद्यार्थियों, ज्ञान-प्रेमियों और नौकरी के इच्छुकों को समर्पित है जो सामान्य ज्ञान बढ़ाने और प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं की तैयारी में जुटे हुए हैं। यह श्रृंखला आपकी ज्ञान यात्रा में मार््गदर्शन और सहयोग देने के उद्देश्य से प्रस्तुत की गई है।**

📚 Nobel Prize discoveries in chemistry: More such informative and exam-friendly compilations are on the way—stay tuned to our website and social media channels for updates!

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🔄 Also explore its perfect companion:
Nobel Prize in Physics: Winners & Breakthroughs (1901–2024)
📘 The Chemistry post you’re reading is part of a twin series—designed to bring clarity to complex discoveries.
👉 Check out the Physics edition here

Made for each other. Meant for curious minds. 🧠💡

For more: Please visit: https://www.nobelprize.org/

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