EAS Remembers Robert H. Grubbs

Robert Grubbs, the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry, passed away on December 19, 2021. He was 79 years old. Grubbs was a co-winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis. Metathesis is a chemical reaction, aided by special catalyst molecules, in which double bonds are broken and made between carbon atoms in ways that cause atom groups to change places. In this way, atoms in a compound can be selectively stripped out and replaced with atoms that were previously part of another compound. In particular, Grubbs developed powerful new catalysts that enabled the synthesis of custom-built molecules with properties that allow for the creation of specialized plastics and better drugs for the treatment of diseases. "Bob was an inspiration to Caltech colleagues and to scientists around the world, for his human qualities as much as for his pathbreaking contributions to research and society. We will keenly miss his wisdom and vision," says Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum, holder of the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential chair and professor of physics. [Caltech story]