The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025
October 8, 2025
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 will be awarded to:
- Susumu Kitagawa, Kyoto University, Japan
- Richard Robson, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Omar M. Yaghi, University of California, Berkeley, USA
This award is conferred “for the development of metal-organic frameworks.”
Their molecular architecture contains room for chemistry.
The Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry 2025 have created molecular constructions. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are constructions with large pores that allow gases and other chemicals to pass through. These frameworks can be utilized for various purposes, such as harvesting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide, storing toxic gases, or catalyzing chemical reactions.
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi for their development of a new form of molecular architecture. In their designs, metal ions act as cornerstones linked by long organic (carbon-based) molecules. Together, these metal ions and molecules organize to form crystals that contain large cavities. By varying the building blocks used in MOFs, chemists can create frameworks that capture and store specific substances, drive chemical reactions, or even conduct electricity.
“Metal-organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” stated Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
The concept began in 1989 when Richard Robson explored the inherent properties of atoms in a novel way. He combined positively charged copper ions with a four-armed molecule, where each arm contained a chemical group that was attracted to the copper ions.
When combined, these elements formed a well-ordered, spacious crystal resembling a diamond filled with countless cavities.
Robson recognized the potential of his molecular construction, but it was initially unstable and prone to collapse. However, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi enhanced this building method, making significant discoveries between 1992 and 2003. Kitagawa demonstrated that gases could flow in and out of these frameworks and predicted that MOFs could be designed to be flexible. Meanwhile, Yaghi created a highly stable MOF and demonstrated that it could be modified through rational design, thereby imparting new and desirable properties.
Following the laureates’ groundbreaking discoveries, chemists have since developed tens of thousands of different MOFs. Some of these innovations may help address some of humanity’s most significant challenges, including separating PFAS from water, breaking down pharmaceutical residues in the environment, capturing carbon dioxide, or harvesting water from desert air.
Source: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
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