Previous Recipients

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2007	Noel S. Hush	University of Sydney	For fundamental work on the theory of homogeneous and heterogeneous electron transfer and contributions in the area of molecular electronics.
2007	William H. Miller	University of California, Berkeley	For pioneering development of the modern theory of chemical reaction dynamics and rates.
2006	Daniel E. Koshland, Jr.	University of California, Berkeley	For his consistent and highly effective use of basic chemical principles to bring to greater clarity chemical processes in complex biological systems.
2005	George M. Whitesides	Harvard University	For the breadth and depth of his insight into chemical processes and his astute use of this understanding in approaching and solving many difficult problems in organic chemistry, biochemistry, biology, material science and surface science.
2004	Allen J. Bard	The University of Texas at Austin	For his major accomplishments in the field of electrochemistry and the effect of these on the discipline of chemistry itself.
2003	Ronald Breslow	Columbia University	For his pioneering contributions to the field of biomimetic chemistry and catalysis by design.
2002	Harden M. McConnell	Stanford University	For his thorough understanding of magnetic resonance and its use in achieving greater insight into chemical systems including reaction dynamics, magnetic resonance imaging and membrane phenomenon.
2001	Roger D. Kornberg	Stanford University	For his seminal contributions in biological and structural chemistry: (1) the discovery, basic structure and function of nucleosome; (2) the discovery of the multiprotein Mediator of transcriptional regulation; and (3) the structures of the giant RNA polymerase II transcription initiation and elongation complexes.
2000	Sir Alan R. Battersby	Cambridge University	For his work which is well described as the biosynthesis of the pigments of life. It represents one of the major and most significant enterprises in contemporary chemistry and has transformed knowledge of the biosynthesis of such vital substances as vitamin B12.
2000	A. Ian Scott	Texas A&M University	For his great contributions to organic chemistry and biochemistry, especially the elegant use of every physical and biological tool available to solve complex structural and mechanistic problems in natural product chemistry and biosynthesis, e.g., vitamin B12. He has provided concepts and methodologies which have been fruitful to many others.
1999	Richard N. Zare	Stanford University	For his seminal contributions in the area of chemical reaction dynamics and in the general field of molecular spectroscopy.
1998	Pierre Chambon	College de France	For his achievements in the field of nuclear receptors which have paved the way to a molecular understanding of vertebrate fundamental processes as well as their pathological disorders.
1997	Ahmed H. Zewail	California Institute of Technology	For his leadership and pioneering contribution to all phases of femtosecond chemistry.
1996	Koji Nakanishi	Columbia University	For his major contribution to our greater understanding of and our capacity to use many of the bioactive compounds found in nature.
1995	Robert H. Abeles	Brandeis University	For his contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms of catalysis by enzymes and to the rational development of compounds that inactivate enzymes.
1995	Jeremy R. Knowles	Harvard University	For his important contributions to mechanistic enzymology.
1994	F. Albert Cotton	Texas A&M University	For his work leading to our current understanding of multiple bonds of metal-metal bonding of transition metal chemistry and for his major impact in the field of inorganic and structural chemistry by virtue of his own work and the numerous individuals who worked in his laboratory as students or postdoctoral fellows.
1994	Jack Halpern	The University of Chicago	For his contributions to understanding reaction mechanisms not only of inorganic chemicals but of complex organometallic reactions systems as well; also for his contributions to understanding the field of homogeneous catalysis in solution.
1993	Gilbert Stork	Columbia University	For his work in developing new methods in organic synthesis and as a mentor to leading synthetic chemists all over the world. He has profoundly influenced the way scientists think about natural product synthesis in general and stereochemical control in particular.
1992	Richard E. Smalley	Rice University	For his career contributions to physical chemistry, including his development and use of supersonic molecular beam techniques for the study of clusters, ions, and molecules.
1991	Edwin G. Krebs	Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington	For his part in showing that interconversion of phosphorylase between its active and inactive forms involved phosphorylation/ dephosphorylation, a process fundamental to the regulation of nearly every vital biological function.
1991	Earl R. Stadtman	National Institutes of Health	For his work in demonstrating that covalent interconvertible enzyme cascades provide the cell with a finely-tuned regulatory mechanism capable of integrating a vast amount of metabolic information, and that they have a remarkable potential for amplification signals and rates.
1990	Wm. von Eggers Doering	Harvard University	For his critical contribution into fundamental aspects of physical organic chemistry. Among his many other important contributions, his work on the carbenes was a pioneering effort which opened a broad field.
1990	John D. Roberts	California Institute of Technology	For his integration of molecular spectroscopy, quantum mechanics, kinetics and other aspects of physical chemistry with his talent for organic synthesis. In the application of these intertwined disciplines to the study of structure activities of organic molecules.
1989	Norman R. Davidson	California Institute of Technology	For his pioneering research contributions to the understanding of the structure and function of genetic materials, especially for his novel techniques which had a powerful influence in this field.
1988	Richard B. Bernstein	University of California, Los Angeles	For his pioneering research in chemical dynamics, thereby providing a new understanding of chemical reactions.
1987	Harry G. Drickamer	Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	For his research on the effects of pressure on optical, electrical magnetic and chemical properties of matter.
1986	George C. Pimentel	University of California, Berkeley	For his contribution to the field of hydrogen bonding, matrix isolation, and chemical lasers.
1985	Duilio Arigoni	Swiss Federal Institute of Technology	For his contributions of founding the field of bioorganic stereochemistry.
1984	Kenneth S. Pitzer	University of California, Berkeley	For his theory for the internal rotation of groups within molecules.
1983	Henry Taube	Stanford University	For his contributions to the field of chemistry, particularly in inorganics.
1982	Frank H. Westheimer	Harvard University	For his significant achievements in the field of bioorganic chemistry.
1981	Paul D. Bartlett	Texas Christian University	For his original investigations of the mechanisms of organic reactions.
1980	Karl Sune Detolf Bergstrom	Karolinska Institute	For his pioneering studies of the prostaglandins.
1978	E. Bright Wilson	Harvard University	For his pioneering theoretical and experimental contributions to molecular structure.
1976	Neil Bartlett	University of California, Berkeley	For his synthesis of chemical compounds of noble gases and the consequent opening of broad new fields of research in inorganic chemistry.
1974	Albert Eschenmoser	Swiss Federal Institute of Technology	For his profound and highly creative contributions to synthetic chemistry.
1972	Karl A. Folkers	The University of Texas at Austin	For his basic research in the area of life sciences.