Richard F. Heck Ph.D.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2010
Nobel co-recipients Ei-ichi Negishizz, Akira Suzuki

Physical organic chemist. Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction. Sole author - 7 consecutive papers. Heck reaction: important concept, tool for organic and medicinal chemists; fuorescence labeling of DNA bases - sequencing DNA/Genome. Thinner computer screens in future. "Great art in test tube."

Growing orchids in early teens lead to passion for chemistry.

Quotations

1. Richard Heck, 79, an American, had retired from active research and was living with his Filipino wife in the Philippines. Upon being awarded The Nobel Prize he said that the Prize would probably not spur any major change in his settled life: "It's a nice thing to have but I don't think this is going to change my life. I'm too old."

2. "It sort of grew as we worked on it," he told The Associated Press. "As I worked on it longer it appeared it was pretty important and it has developed well since then."