Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025

Crash Course 2026!

Starts 16^th

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three scientists, Susumu Kitagawa (Japan), Richard Robson (Australia), and Omar M. Yaghi (USA), for their groundbreaking development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

About Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline, porous materials made of metal ions as “nodes” connected by organic molecules called “linkers.”
Functionality: Their lattice structure creates large cavities that can store substances, catalyse reactions, or conduct electricity.
Porosity: MOFs have large internal surface areas, often exceeding 7,000 square meters per gram, which allows for remarkable molecular adsorption and storage capacity.
Tunable Design: By modifying metal nodes and linkers, chemists can accurately control pore size, geometry, and reactivity for specialised applications.

Application	Description
Carbon capture & sequestration	MOFs can trap CO₂ from industrial emissions or ambient air, helping mitigate climate change.
Water harvesting/extraction	In arid regions, MOFs may be used to pull water vapour from the air, condense it, and provide potable water.
Gas storage & separation	Useful for storing hydrogen, methane, or separating gas mixtures (e.g. removing impurities or capturing specific gases).
Purification/removal of pollutants	Removing “forever chemicals” (PFAS), pharmaceutical traces, or toxic gases from water or air.
Catalysis/chemical conversion	MOFs can provide confined reaction spaces or active sites to catalyse useful chemical transformations.
Energy & battery materials	Some MOFs are explored for being parts of components in batteries, supercapacitors, or hydrogen economy systems.
Drug delivery/biomedical uses	Because of their tunability and porosity, MOFs are being explored for encapsulating and delivering molecules to specific organs or cells.