2010 NOBEL PRIZE WINNER for his work in palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions in organic synthesis

Am I the only Nobel Prize winner in the Philippines?? Richard HeckEi-ichi NegishiAkira Suzuki

born in August 15, 1931 in Springfield Massachusetts the only son of a housewife and a salesman his parents were dancers before he was born

He got into chemistry as a teenager when their family moved from Springfield, Mass., to Los Angeles area. fertilizerssprays plants

chemistry lab in the garage got carried away... “make something new” He wasn’t an extraordinary student but he did always get great grades in chemistry.

obtained his degree in bachelor of sciences (1952) and his doctorate (1954) at the University of California Los Angeles under the supervision of Dr. Saul Winstein to do postdoctoral research with noted chemist Vladimir Prelog in Zurich, Switzerland

Hercules Corporation in Wilmington, Delaware in 1957

engaged in research on palladium-catalyzed reactions laid the groundwork for coupling between carbon atoms by using a catalyser or chemical to promote process published several single- author papers in chemistry journals He had worked there for 14 years, however, he got fired when the Hercules decided that they no longer needed his line of research.

In 1971, he was hired at the University of Delaware as a professor of chemistry. He again started working on the palladium catalyst through funding from the US National Science Foundation and other sources.

In 1989, he retired with frustrations when his funding was cancelled and he was unable to obtain corporate or government grants to further his research. But he remained as professor emeritus at the University of Delaware.

He met a Filipina on his one of seasonal vacations when he was still a professor at the University of Delaware. An ordinary woman named Socorro or “Soci” who lived in Quezon City, Philippines captured the heart of Mr. Heck.

They dated for one month and decided to get marry. For 31 years of marriage, they are childless.

Last 2006, Heck decided to spend his retirement in the Philippines because of his wife, adding, “It’s a nice place." Upon living here, he was unable to do any research thing anymore. Rather, he tending to his orchids and pet birds.

October 6,2010 a news broke the day!!! a phone call was received by Mr. Heck informing that he was one of the 2010 Nobel Prize Laureates a news broke the day!!! a phone call was received by Mr. Heck informing that he was one of the 2010 Nobel Prize Laureates “I didn't expect any remuneration from it... the reward is in finding new chemistry. It's an interesting pursuit to see what you can do with these chemicals and make new materials out of them, and improved ways of making new molecules,"

No one could have known that a chemistry genius was living in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES.

reduces the number of steps it takes to synthesize complex molecules knitting carbon atoms together so that they formed a stable “skeleton” for organic molecules palladium metal act as a chemical matchmaker palladium-catalysed cross coupling

HECK reaction Heck's investigations of the coupling of aryl mercury compounds with olefins using palladium as a catalyst seven consecutive articles in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) for which Heck was the sole author In 1982, Heck was able to write an Organic Reactions chapter that covered all the known instances in just 45 pages. By 2002, applications had grown to the extent that the Organic Reactions chapter published that year, limited to intramolecular Heck reactions, covered 377 pages.

breakthroughs in DNA sequencing pharmaceuticals electronics industry economic and environmental benefits

“wonderful”“useful laboratory reaction, with major applications in industry” “Great art in a test tube.”

first to fully characterize a π-allyl metal complex first to elucidate the mechanisms of alkene hydroformylation  remains Willis F. Harrington Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry  in 2005, he was awarded the Wallace H. Carothers Award, which recognizes creative applications of chemistry that have had substantial commercial impact  he was awarded the 2006 Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods.

..one step did not automatically follow the other. Nothing was ordained. It was the hard work, the preparation, the talent and the persistence. And more hard work, even when things went wrong.

Indeed, he was considered as of now as the only Nobel winner in Chemistry living in the Republic of the Philippines. Hoping, that there will be a Nobel winner in Chemistry not only an immigrant in the Philippines but a pure FILIPINO. HECK left us with another inspiration and great contribution in the field of chemistry.