The Nagoya Medals of Organic Chemistry have been awarded to David W. C. MacMillan, Princeton University, USA (Gold Medal, pictured left), and Chihaya Adachi, Kyushu University, Japan (Silver Medal, pictured right). The award is financially supported by the MSD Life Science Foundation, Tokyo, Japan.
The Gold Award is presented annually to a chemist who has made significant original contributions to the field of organic chemistry in its broadest sense. The Silver Award goes to a scientist based in Japan whose research has had a major impact on the field of synthetic organic chemistry.
David W. C. MacMillan studied chemistry at the University of Glasgow, UK. He received his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of California, Irvine, USA, under the supervision of Larry Overman. From 1996 to 1998, he performed postdoctoral research with Professor Dave Evans at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. He then started his independent career at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. MacMillan joined the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, USA, in 2000, and was appointed Earle C. Anthony Chair of Organic Chemistry there in 2004. In 2006, he was appointed A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Merck Center for Catalysis at Princeton University, NJ, USA. In 2001, MacMillan became James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University.
Among other honors, Mac Millan has received the Thieme-IUPAC Prize in Organic Synthesis in 2006, the Ryoji Noyori Prize from the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan, in 2017, and the Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis from the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2018.
His research focuses on the development of general catalysis concepts in organic chemistry and their application to complex targets. His interests include organocatalysis, cascade catalysis, synergistic catalysis, and photoredox catalysis.
Chihaya Adachi studied chemistry at Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan, where he obtained his Bachelor degree in 1986. He received his Master of Science degree in 1988 and his Ph.D. in materials science and technology in 1991, both from Kyushu University. He joined the Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, in 2004 and returned to Kyushu University in 2005. Adachi currently is the Director of the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) at Kyushu University.
Among other honors, Adachi has received the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in 2007 and the Japan Society of Applied Physics Fellow Award in 2016.
Adachi’s research focuses on the development of new organic electronics. His interests include organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), high-performance organic (light-emitting) transistors, organic photovoltaics, organic memories, organic laser diodes, and flexible optoelectronic devices.
Selected Publications by David W. C. MacMillan
- Metallaphotoredox-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Csp3–Csp3 Coupling of Aliphatic Bromides,
Russell T. Smith, Xiaheng Zhang, Juan A. Rincón, Javier Agejas, Carlos Mateos, Mario Barberis, Susana García-Cerrada, Oscar de Frutos, David W. C. MacMillan,
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 17433–17438.
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.8b12025 - Metallaphotoredox Difluoromethylation of Aryl Bromides,
Vlad Bacauanu, Sébastien Cardinal, Motoshi Yamauchi, Masaru Kondo, David F. Fernández, Richard Remy, David W. C. MacMillan,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 12543–12548.
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201807629 - Direct arylation of strong aliphatic C–H bonds,
Ian B. Perry, Thomas F. Brewer, Patrick J. Sarver, Danielle M. Schultz, Daniel A. DiRocco, David W. C. MacMillan,
Nature 2018, 560, 70–75.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0366-x - Visible Light Photoredox Catalysis with Transition Metal Complexes: Applications in Organic Synthesis,
Christopher K. Prier, Danica A. Rankic, David W. C. MacMillan,
Chem. Rev. 2013, 113, 5322–5363.
https://doi.org/10.1021/cr300503r - The advent and development of organocatalysis,
David W. C. MacMillan,
Nature 2008, 455, 304–308.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07367 - Merging Photoredox Catalysis with Organocatalysis: The Direct Asymmetric Alkylation of Aldehydes,
David A. Nicewicz, David W. C. MacMillan,
Science 2008, 322, 77–80.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1161976
Selected Publications by Chihaya Adachi
- Dependence of the amorphous structures and photoluminescence properties of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum films on vacuum deposition conditions,
Yu Esaki, Toshinori Matsushima, Chihaya Adachi,
Org. Electron. 2019, 67, 237–241.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2019.01.032 - Highly Efficient Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence with Slow Reverse Intersystem Crossing,
Hiroki Noda, Hajime Nakanotani, Chihaya Adachi,
Chem. Lett. 2019, 48, 126–129.
https://doi.org/10.1246/cl.180813 - Enhanced near-infrared electroluminescence from a neodymium complex in organic light-emitting diodes with a solution-processed exciplex host,
Afshin Shahalizad, Dae-Hyeon Kim, Sanyasi Rao Bobbara, Youichi Tsuchiya, Anthony D’Aléo, Chantal Andraud, Jean-Charles Ribierre, Jean-Michel Nunzi, Chihaya Adachi,
Appl. Phys. Lett. 2019, 114, 033301.
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5054721 - Efficient blue organic light-emitting diodes employing thermally activated delayed fluorescence,
Qisheng Zhang, Bo Li, Shuping Huang, Hiroko Nomura, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Chihaya Adachi,
Nat. Photonics 2014, 8, 326–332.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.12 - Design of Efficient Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials for Pure Blue Organic Light Emitting Diodes,
Qisheng Zhang, Jie Li, Katsuyuki Shizu, Shuping Huang, Shuzo Hirata, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Chihaya Adachi,
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 14706–14709.
https://doi.org/10.1021/ja306538w - Highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes from delayed fluorescence,
Hiroki Uoyama, Kenichi Goushi, Katsuyuki Shizu, Hiroko Nomura, Chihaya Adachi,
Nature 2012, 492, 234–238.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11687
Also of Interest
- 23rd Nagoya Medals of Organic Chemistry,
ChemViews Mag. 2017.
E. W. “Bert” Meijer, The Netherlands, and Hiroaki Suga, Japan, honored - Nagoya Medals of Organic Chemistry 2016,
ChemViews Mag. 2017.
Stephen Buchwald, USA, and Masaya Sawamura, Japan, honored - Nagoya Medals of Organic Chemistry 2014,
ChemViews Mag. 2014.
John F. Hartwig and Itaru Hamachi awarded
