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# 030895
Scientistat The Scripps ResearchInstitute Named Recipientof
The King Faisal International Prize for Science
La Jolla, CA. March 8, 1995- K. Barry Sharpless,
W. M. Keck Professorof Chemistryat
The ScrippsResearchInstitute,is to receiveone of the scientificworld's biggestawards,The
King FaisalInternationalPrize for Science.
The King FaisalFoundation,namedfor SaudiArabia'sthird monarch,describedSharplessas
"one of the most creativeand intuitive organicchemistsof his generation...whose
contribution
led to the developmentof catalyticasymmetricsynthesis.
" He will receivea gold medaland
$200,000from King Fahdduring ceremoniesin Riyadhlater this month.
Sinceits creationin 1983,this is only the third time the King FaisalPrize for Sciencehasbeen
awardedfor chemistry. In 1990the prize was sharedby R. U. Lemieux,F. A. Cotton andM.
A. El-Sayed.MichaelBerridgewon it in 1986.
Sharplessis bestknown for usingmetalcatalyststo createusefulnew methodsfor synthesizing
organicchemicals. The SharplessAsymmetricEpoxidation,discoveredin 1980and the
SharplessAsymmetricDihydroxylation,developedseveralyearslater, quickly became
essentialtools for chemists. He is creditedboth with unleashingthe broadpowersof catalytic
asymmetricsynthesisand with continuingto leadthe explosivelygrowing field.
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Page2 - SharplessAwarded King Faisal International Prize for Science
Without asymmetricmethods,organicchemicalreactionsproducefifty-fifty mixturesof "lefthanded"and "right-handed"enantiomers(three-dimensional
isomers).Thesepairedmolecules
are identicalin every way exceptfor beingmirror imagesof eachother, like left and right
reactionstransformedorganicchemistryby makingit
hands. The broad scopeof the Sharpless
possibleto use generalmethodsto synthesize
highly pure batchesof such"handed"
molecules.
industry,sincea quarterof the drugson
This hasspecialsignificancefor the pharmaceutical
the markettoday are actuallyfifty-fifty mixturesof two enantiomers.During chemical
reactionswith other "handed"molecules,theseenantiomers
reactdifferently. Becauseall
living systemsare "one-handed,"a drug's beneficialeffectusuallycomesfrom just one
enantiomer. Thus a patientfrequentlytakestwice asmuchmedicationas is necessary,and the
unwantedenantiomermay actuallycauseharmful sideeffects. Sharpless'swork pavesthe way
for the cost-effectiveproductionof more single-enantiomer
drugs.
Accordingto K. C. Nicolaou,ChemistryDepartmentChairmanat TSRI and DarleneShiley
Professorof Chemistry,"This awardrepresents
deservingrecognitionof Dr. Sharpless's
pioneeringwork. He is a geniusat discoveringnew reagentsandreactionprocesses
usefulto
the pharmaceutical
and chemicalindustries,as well asto otherresearchers
in chemistryand
biology."
receivedhis B.A. from DartmouthCollegein 1963anda StanfordUniversityPh.D.
Sharpless
in 1968. In 1970,following postdoctoralstudiesat StanfordandHarvardUniversities,he
joined the Massachusetts
Instituteof Technology(MIT) faculty. After threeyearsat Stanford
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Page3 - SharplessAwarded King Faisal International Prize for Science
in the late 1970s,he returnedto MIT asArthur C. CopeProfessorof Chemistry. He joined
the TSRI facultyin 1991.
Sharplesswas electedto the NationalAcademyof Sciencesin 1985. Other significanthonors
includethe TetrahedronPrize, the AmericanChemicalSociety'sAward for CreativeWork in
OrganicSynthesisand their Arthur C. CopeAward; the PrelogMedal (Switzerland);the
JanssenPrize (Belgium),and the ScheeleMedal (Sweden).
Establishedrn 1976,the King FaisalFoundationseeksto preserveIslamicvalues,make
educationand healthfacilitiesavailableto thosewho might not otherwisehaveaccess,promote
cultural programsand science,and raisethe standardsof living for the lessfortunate,
particularly in developingcountries. To acknowledgesignificantindividualachievement
in
theseareas,the Foundationannuallyawardsfive internationalprizesfor: serviceto Islam,
Islamic studies,Arabic Literature,scienceandmedicine.
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