University of Delaware to host scholarly symposium in honor of Richard F. Heck

On Thursday, May 26, the University of Delaware will host the scholarly symposium "Frontiers in Catalysis" in honor of Richard F. Heck, Willis F. Harrington Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Register online at [http://www.udel.edu/nobelsymposium/].

Heck, with fellow researchers Akira Suzuki of Japan's Hokkaido University, and Ei-Ichi Negishi of Purdue University, received science's most prestigious prize, "for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis," from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10, 2010. The scientists were honored for discovering "more efficient ways of linking carbon atoms together to build the complex molecules that are improving our everyday lives," according to the Nobel statement.

"Prof. Heck's discoveries have changed the world, leading to significant advancements in human health and medicine to electronics and energy research," said Patrick Harker, UD president. "We are delighted to welcome him back to the University of Delaware for this day of science and celebration, honoring his ground-breaking contributions."

The chemical process Heck invented, known as the "Heck Reaction," fundamentally changed how molecules are made, according to Tom Apple, UD provost and professor of chemistry. Apple was a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UD when Heck was on the faculty.

"Dick Heck's research launched entire new classes of pharmaceuticals for fighting diseases such as cancer," Apple said. "His work was essential for the Human Genome Project and fields such as proteomics, as well as the development of new energy technologies ranging from organic LEDs to sugar-based fuel cells."

The symposium will feature internationally prominent speakers from academia and industry, including Heck's co-laureate Ei-Ichi Negishi, Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University, who will deliver the keynote address as the 2011 Heck Lecturer.

Other speakers include Stephen L. Buchwald, Camille Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Todd Nelson, director of pharmaceutical sciences at Merck; Melanie Sanford, professor of chemistry at the University of Michigan; Victor Snieckus, Bader Chair in Organic Chemistry at Queen's University; and Dean Toste, professor of chemistry at the University of California Berkeley.