Ben Feringa

Ben Feringa is a Dutch organic chemist whose research includes asymmetric catalysis and light-driven molecular machines. He shared the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.

Fraser Stoddart: A Scottish-American chemist whose mechanically interlocked molecules helped establish the field of molecular machines. He shared the 2016 Nobel Prize with Feringa for designing and synthesizing molecular machines.
Molecular motor: A molecule that converts energy into directed, repeated motion. Feringa’s light-driven motors are prominent examples of this molecular device.
Asymmetric catalysis: Catalysis that preferentially produces one stereoisomer of a chiral product. It is a central research area in Feringa’s organic chemistry.
Asymmetric synthesis: The preparation of chiral compounds in which one stereoisomer is favored or isolated. Feringa’s catalysts enable selective routes to chiral molecules.
2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart, and Ben Feringa. The award recognized their contributions to the design and synthesis of molecular machines.
Jean-Pierre Sauvage: A French chemist who pioneered the synthesis of mechanically interlocked molecules. His molecular architectures formed another strand of the work recognized alongside Feringa’s.
Unidirectional rotation: Rotation that proceeds preferentially in one direction rather than alternating freely. Feringa’s motor designs use molecular shape changes and chirality to bias rotation.
Chirality: The property of an object or molecule that makes it distinct from its mirror image. Molecular handedness underlies stereoselective catalysis and directional behavior in Feringa’s motors.
Molecular nanotechnology: The design and use of molecular-scale structures and devices for functional purposes. Feringa’s motors are molecular components envisioned for nanoscale tasks.
Molecular robotics: The proposed use of molecular machines and responsive molecules to perform coordinated tasks. Feringa’s motors helped make controlled motion a practical goal for synthetic chemistry.

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Delft University of TechnologyRelated: He studied chemistry at Delft before pursuing the research that led to his Nobel-recognized work.