William Standish Knowles

William Standish Knowles
Born(1917-06-01)June 1, 1917
DiedJune 13, 2012(2012-06-13) (aged 95)
EducationHarvard University (AB)
Columbia University (PhD)
Known forChiral phosphine ligands that proved effective in the enantioselective synthesis of L-DOPA
AwardsNobel Prize in Chemistry (2001)
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsThomas and Hochwalt Laboratories
Monsanto Company
ThesisA preliminary investigation of the constituents of Astragalus wootoni. Β-substituted-Δα, Β-butenolides of the naphthalene, indene and norcholane series (1942)
Doctoral advisorRobert Elderfield

William Standish Knowles (June 1, 1917 – June 13, 2012) was an American chemist. He was born in Taunton, Massachusetts. Knowles was one of the recipients of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He split half the prize with Ryōji Noyori for their work in asymmetric synthesis, specifically for his work in hydrogenation reactions. The other half was awarded to K. Barry Sharpless for his work in oxidation reactions.[1]

  1. ^ Yun, O. (2005). "Profile of William S. Knowles". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102 (47): 16913–16915. Bibcode:2005PNAS..10216913Y. doi:10.1073/pnas.0507546102. PMC 1287994. PMID 16286647.