Awarded 7th BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, chemist Stephen Buchwald explains in this interview how the development of new catalysts for forming carbon-nitrogen bonds transformed modern organic synthesis. Buchwald details how his palladium complexes facilitated more efficient, selective, and sustainable reactions, fundamental to the creation of molecules used in pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and agrochemicals. He also reflects on the role of chemistry as a discipline that drives innovation across multiple industries and on the importance of combining basic research and practical applications to solve real-world problems. His testimony offers a clear vision of the profound impact catalysis has had on contemporary science.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences has gone in this seventh edition to U.S. chemist Steph
Awarded 7th BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, chemist Stephen Buchwald explains in this interview how the development of new catalysts for forming carbon-nitrogen bonds transformed modern organic synthesis. Buchwald details how his palladium complexes facilitated more efficient, selective, and sustainable reactions, fundamental to the creation of molecules used in pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and agrochemicals. He also reflects on the role of chemistry as a discipline that drives innovation across multiple industries and on the importance of combining basic research and practical applications to solve real-world problems. His testimony offers a clear vision of the profound impact catalysis has had on contemporary science.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences has gone in this seventh edition to U.S. chemist Stephen L. Buchwald for the development of catalytic routes based on palladium and copper to construct carbon-nitrogen and carbon-carbon bonds, an advance with great impact on the efficient synthesis of modern pharmaceuticals and compounds for agricultural use.
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Could you briefly explain the contribution for which you have been recognized with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category?
00:37 What improvements do your catalytic pathways offer compared with those that previously existed?
01:08 The jury has highlighted the impact of your contribution on the development of new drugs for the treatment of various diseases. Were you aiming for this application when you began this line of research?
01:43 What are you currently working on, and what are your next challenges?
