Remembering Richard Heck

Richard Heck won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Ei-ishi Nigeshi and Akira Suzuki for his work in palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. Essentially, he found new ways to synthesize new organic molecules by using palladium as a catalyst, and his name is now associated with the process known as the Heck reaction. It is a valuable part of everything from cosmetics to DNA fluorescence. Uncharacteristic for a Nobel Prize winner, he spent many of his creative years outside academia, working in the private sector. When he finally returned to academia, he became one of only two Nobel Prize winners to come form the University of Delaware