Ei-ichi Negishi

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Ei-ichi Negishi (根岸 英一, Negishi Eiichi, born July 14, 1935) is a Japanese chemist who is best known for his discovery of the Negishi coupling, a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction used in organic chemistry for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2010, along with Richard F. Heck and Akira Suzuki, for their work on palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis.

Early Life and Education

Ei-ichi Negishi was born in Changchun, Manchukuo (now China), and later moved to Japan. He received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Tokyo in 1958. He then moved to the United States to pursue his graduate studies, earning his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963 under the supervision of Allan R. Day.

Career

After completing his Ph.D., Negishi worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University under the guidance of Herbert C. Brown, who later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1979. Negishi joined the faculty at Purdue University in 1979 and became a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

Negishi Coupling

The Negishi coupling is a widely used reaction in organic synthesis that involves the coupling of organozinc compounds with organic halides in the presence of a palladium catalyst. This reaction has significant applications in the synthesis of complex organic molecules, including pharmaceuticals, natural products, and polymers.

Awards and Honors

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2010)
• American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry (1998)
• Order of Culture (2010)
• Japan Academy Prize (1997)

Personal Life

Negishi is married and has two children. He has been an advocate for the importance of fundamental research in chemistry and has mentored numerous students and postdoctoral researchers throughout his career.

See Also

• Palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions
• Richard F. Heck
• Akira Suzuki
• Herbert C. Brown
• University of Tokyo
• University of Pennsylvania
• Purdue University

Related Pages

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Organic synthesis
• Organozinc chemistry
• Palladium
• Cross-coupling reaction

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