Carbon compounds of different shapes
and sizes build up all life on earth, but they can also
be produced artificially. This is called organic synthesis
and is central in chemistry. Here molecules are tailored
and built in the service of mankind. The most tempting
thing is perhaps to produce materials with entirely new
properties, or effective medicines with fewer side effects.
This year's Nobel Prize Laureates in chemistry have developed a
new type of reaction with broad areas of application
in organic synthesis. The reaction is termed metathesis.