Syracuse University congratulates Ei-ichi Negishi on the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry

Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Syracuse University join colleagues around the world in congratulating former SU faculty member Ei-ichi Negishi for his landmark research that has been recognized with a 2010 Nobel Prize.

Negishi, Purdue University’s Herbert Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and faculty member in SU’s Department of Chemistry from 1972-79, has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry, along with Richard Heck of the University of Delaware, and Akira Suzuki of Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan.

Negishi began his academic career in The College of Arts and Sciences as assistant professor of chemistry in 1972, and ultimately rose to full professor in 1979. During his time at SU, he began his work on the application of transition metal catalyzed organometallic reactions for organic synthesis, commonly called Negishi coupling reactions, for which he was awarded this Nobel Prize. His research led to a series of important discoveries and developments at SU and Purdue (whose faculty he joined in 1979) involving zirconium-catalyzed alkyne carboalumination. His publications while at SU formed the foundation for these later studies and represent the seminal work for which he has received the award. Negishi’s work has direct application to many areas including the transformation or organic molecules that are of interest in the health- and energy-related areas.