Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Moscow, 8 Oct. - The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded this Wednesday to scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yagchi, for the development of metalorganic frameworks.
In particular, the scientists have created molecular structures with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow, the committee said in a statement, explaining that these metal-organic frameworks can be used to extract water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases, or catalyze chemical reactions.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences detailed that, in 1989, Richard Robson (Australia) experimented with a new way to exploit the inherent properties of atoms. He combined positive ions with a four-armed molecule that attracted copper ions at the end of each arm. When combined, they formed a large and orderly crystal like a diamond filled with countless cavities.
Susumu Kitagawa (Japan) demonstrated that gases can flow in and out of structures and predicted that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could be made flexible. Meanwhile, Omar Yaghi (USA) created a highly stable MOF and demonstrated that it can be modified through rational design, giving it new and desirable properties. (Text and photo: RT)
