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{{Short description|American chemist and Nobel Laureate (born 1941)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Karl Barry Sharpless
| image             = Barry Sharpless 02.jpg
| caption           = Sharpless in 2018
| birth_name        = Karl Barry Sharpless
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1941|4|28}}
| birth_place       = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date        = 
| death_place       = 
| known_for         = {{ubl|[[Enantioselective synthesis]]|[[Click chemistry]]}}
| spouse            = {{marriage|Jan Dueser|1965}}
| awards            = {{ubl|[[Chemical Pioneer Award]] (1988)|[[Scheele Award]] (1991)|[[Arthur C. Cope Award]] (1992)|[[Tetrahedron Prize]] (1993)|[[King Faisal International Prize]] (1995)|[[Harvey Prize]] (1998)|[[Chirality Medal]] (2000)|[[The Franklin Institute Awards|Benjamin Franklin Medal]] (2001)|[[Wolf Prize]] (2001)|[[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] (2001, 2022)|[[William H. Nichols Medal]] (2006)|[[Priestley Medal]] (2019)}}
| field             = [[Stereochemistry]]
| workplaces        = {{ubl|[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]|[[Stanford University]]|[[The Scripps Research Institute]]|[[Kyushu University]]}}
| alma_mater        = [[Dartmouth College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Stanford University]] ([[Master of Science|MS]], [[PhD]])
| thesis_title      = Studies of the Mechanism of Action of 2,3-oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase: Featuring Enzymic Cyclization of Modified Squalene Oxides
| thesis_url        = https://www.proquest.com/docview/302369766/
| thesis_year       = 1968
| doctoral_advisor  = [[Eugene van Tamelen]]
| doctoral_students = [[M.G. Finn]]
| notable_students  = ''Undergrads:'' {{plainlist|
* [[Gregory Fu]]
}}
''Post-docs:'' {{plainlist|
* [[Eric Jacobsen (chemist)|Eric Jacobsen]]
* [[Hartmuth Kolb]]
}}
}}

'''Karl Barry Sharpless''' (born April 28, 1941) is an American [[stereochemistry|stereochemist]]. He is a two-time [[List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry|Nobel laureate in chemistry]], known for his work on [[stereoselective reactions]] and [[click chemistry]].

Sharpless was awarded half of the 2001 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] "for his work on chirally catalysed [[oxidation reaction]]s", and one third of the 2022 prize, jointly with [[Carolyn R. Bertozzi]] and [[Morten P. Meldal]], "for the development of click chemistry and [[bioorthogonal chemistry]]".<ref name="nobelprize.2001">{{cite press release |title=The 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |publisher=[[Nobel Foundation]] |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2001/summary/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |date=10 October 2001}}</ref>{{r|nobelprize.2022}} Sharpless is the fifth person (in addition to two organizations) to have twice been awarded a Nobel prize, along with [[Marie Curie]], [[John Bardeen]], [[Linus Pauling]] and [[Frederick Sanger]], and the third to have been awarded two prizes in the same discipline (after Bardeen and Sanger).

== Early life and education ==
Sharpless was born April 28, 1941, in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=K. Barry Sharpless |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Barry-Sharpless |access-date=17 January 2024 |date=24 April 2023 |editor-last=Rogers |editor-first=Kara |language=en}}</ref> His childhood was filled with summers at his family cottage on the [[Manasquan River]] in [[New Jersey]]. This is where Sharpless developed a love for fishing that he would continue throughout his life, spending summers in college working on fishing boats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharpless |first=Barry |date=December 8, 2001 |title=Searching For New Reactivity |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/sharpless-lecture.pdf |website=Nobel Prize}}</ref> He graduated from [[Friends' Central School]] in 1959,<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine |last=Halford |first=Bethany |date=31 March 2019 |title=2019 Priestley Medalist K. Barry Sharpless works magic in the world of molecules |url=https://cen.acs.org/people/awards/2019-Priestley-Medalist-K-Barry-Sharpless-works-magic-in-the-world-of-molecules/97/i13 |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=[[Chemical & Engineering News]] |language=en |volume=97 |issue=13}}</ref> and continued his studies at [[Dartmouth College]], earning an [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] degree in 1963. Sharpless originally planned to attend medical school after his undergraduate degree, but his research professor convinced him to continue his education in chemistry.<ref name="c&en" /> He earned his [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in organic chemistry from [[Stanford University]] in 1968 under [[Eugene van Tamelen]].<ref name="thesis-sharpless-1968">{{cite thesis |title=Studies of the mechanism of action of 2,3-oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase: featuring enzymic cyclization of modified squalene oxides |date=1968 |institution=[[Stanford University]] |type=Ph.D. |last=Sharpless |first=Karl Barry |oclc=66229398 |id={{ProQuest|302369766}}}}</ref>  He continued post-doctoral work at Stanford University (1968–1969) with [[James P. Collman]], working on [[organometallic chemistry]]. Sharpless then moved to [[Harvard University]] (1969–1970), studying enzymology in [[Konrad E. Bloch]]'s lab.<ref name="c&en" />

== Academic career ==
Sharpless was a professor at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (1970–1977, 1980–1990) and [[Stanford University]] (1977–1980).<ref name="amws">{{Cite book|title=American Men & Women of Science|url=https://archive.org/details/americanmenwomen02hend|url-access=registration|last=Henderson|first=Andrea Kovacs|publisher=Gale. Cengage Learning|year=2009|isbn=9781414433066|location=Farmington Hills, MI|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanmenwomen02hend/page/764 764]}}</ref> While at Stanford, Sharpless discovered [[Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation]], which was used to make (+)-[[disparlure]].  {{As of|2023}}, Sharpless led a laboratory at [[Scripps Research]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!-- no author attribution --> |date=<!-- no source date specified --> |title=Sharpless Lab - Group Members |url=https://www.scripps.edu/sharpless/groupmembers.html |access-date=17 January 2024 |publisher=[[Scripps Research]]}}</ref> <!--This chemical is a [[spongy moth]] [[pheromone]] and was used by Sharpless to perform demonstrations that showed the efficacy of the reaction after he returned to MIT.<ref name="c&en" /> He has held the [[W. M. Keck Foundation|W. M. Keck]] professorship in chemistry at [[The Scripps Research Institute]] since 1990.{{cn|date=October 2022}}-->

== Research ==
Sharpless developed stereoselective oxidation reactions, and showed that the formation of an inhibitor with femtomolar potency can be catalyzed by the enzyme [[acetylcholinesterase]], beginning with an azide and an alkyne. He discovered several chemical reactions which have transformed asymmetric synthesis from science fiction to the relatively routine, including aminohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, and the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation.<ref name="nndb">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nndb.com/people/854/000100554/ |title=K. Barry Sharpless |date=2014 |access-date=July 12, 2014 |website=Notable Names Database |publisher=Soylent Communications }}</ref>

In 2001 he was awarded a half-share of the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for his work on chirally catalyzed [[oxidation]] reactions ([[Sharpless epoxidation]], [[Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation]], [[Sharpless oxyamination]]). The other half of the year's Prize was shared between [[William S. Knowles]] and [[Ryōji Noyori]] (for their work on stereoselective [[hydrogenation]]).{{r|nobelprize.2001}}

<!--His group has also successfully epoxidized (using racemic [[tartaric acid]]) a C-86 Buckminster [[Fullerene]] ball, employing [[p-cresol]] as solvent.{{cn|date=October 2022}}
-->
The term "[[click chemistry]]" was coined by Sharpless around the year 2000, and was first fully described by Sharpless, [[Hartmuth C. Kolb|Hartmuth Kolb]], and [[M.G. Finn]] at [[Scripps Research Institute|The Scripps Research Institute]] in 2001.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kolb|first1=Hartmuth C.|last2=Finn|first2=M. G.|last3=Sharpless|first3=K. Barry|date=June 1, 2001|title=Click Chemistry: Diverse Chemical Function from a Few Good Reactions|journal=Angewandte Chemie|volume=40|issue=11|pages=2004–2021|issn=1521-3773|pmid=11433435|doi=10.1002/1521-3773(20010601)40:11<2004::AID-ANIE2004>3.0.CO;2-5|doi-access=}}</ref><ref name="nobelprize.2022">{{cite web |title=The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2022/press-release// |access-date=5 October 2022 |website= |publisher=Nobel Foundation}}</ref> This involves a set of highly selective, [[exothermic reaction|exothermic]] reactions which occur under mild conditions; the most successful example is the [[azide alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition]] to form [[1,2,3-Triazole|1,2,3-triazoles]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Evans|first=Richard A.|date=2007|title=The Rise of Azide–Alkyne 1,3-Dipolar 'Click' Cycloaddition and its Application to Polymer Science and Surface Modification|journal=Australian Journal of Chemistry|language=en|volume=60|issue=6|pages=384|doi=10.1071/CH06457|issn=0004-9425}}</ref>

{{As of|2024}}, Sharpless has an [[h-index]] of 130 according to [[Scopus]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7006064369|title=Scopus preview – Sharpless, K. Barry – Author details – Scopus|website=www.scopus.com|accessdate=October 16, 2021}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
Sharpless is a two-time Nobel laureate. He is a recipient of the 2001 and 2022 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] for his work on "chirally catalysed oxidation reactions", and "[[click chemistry]]", respectively.{{r|nobelprize.2001}}<ref name="nobelprize.2022"></ref>

He was awarded the 2001 [[Wolf Prize in Chemistry]] together with [[Henri B. Kagan]] and [[Ryoji Noyori]] “for their pioneering, creative and crucial work in developing asymmetric catalysis for the synthesis of chiral molecules, greatly increasing humankind's ability to create new products of fundamental and practical importance”.

In 2019, Sharpless was awarded the [[Priestley Medal]], the [[American Chemical Society]]'s highest honor, for "the invention of catalytic, asymmetric oxidation methods, the concept of click chemistry and development of the copper-catalyzed version of the azide-acetylene cycloaddition reaction".<ref name="auto"/><ref name="c&en">{{Cite web|url=https://cen.acs.org/people/awards/K-Barry-Sharpless-named-2019/96/i26|title=K. Barry Sharpless named 2019 Priestley Medalist|website=Chemical & Engineering News|language=en|access-date=April 8, 2019}}</ref> He received the [[American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal|Gold Medal of the American Institute of Chemists]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Institute of Chemists – Gold Medal Awards |url=https://www.theaic.org/award_winners/goldmedal.html#gma20s |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=www.theaic.org}}</ref>

He is Distinguished University Professor at [[Kyushu University]]. He holds honorary degrees from the [[KTH Royal Institute of Technology]] (1995), [[Technical University of Munich]] (1995), [[Université catholique de Louvain|Catholic University of Louvain]] (1996) and [[Wesleyan University]] (1999).<ref name="amws" />

== Personal life ==
Sharpless married Jan Dueser in 1965 and they have three children.<ref name="nndb" /> He was blinded in one eye during a lab accident in 1970 where an [[NMR tube]] exploded, shortly after he arrived at MIT as an assistant professor. After this accident, Sharpless stresses "there's simply never an adequate excuse for not wearing safety glasses in the laboratory ''at all times''."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barry Sharpless |first=Karl |date=March 11, 1992 |title=A cautionary tale from the past |url=https://news.mit.edu/1992/safety-0311 |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=MIT News |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Scholia}}
* [https://www.scripps.edu/chem/sharpless/ K. Barry Sharpless at The Scripps Research Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124235234/http://www.scripps.edu/chem/sharpless/ |date=November 24, 2011 }}
* {{Nobelprize}} including the Nobel Lecture December 8, 2001 ''The Search for New Chemical Reactivity'' and the award 2022

{{Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates 2001–2025}}
{{2001 Nobel Prize winners}}
{{2022 Nobel Prize winners}}
{{Wolf Prize in Chemistry}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpless, Karl Barry}}

[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American chemists]]
[[Category:21st-century American chemists]]
[[Category:American Nobel laureates]]
[[Category:Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates]]
[[Category:Dartmouth College alumni]]
[[Category:Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Friends' Central School alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Chemistry]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates with multiple Nobel awards]]
[[Category:American organic chemists]]
[[Category:Scientists from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Scripps Research faculty]]
[[Category:Stanford University alumni]]
[[Category:Stereochemists]]
[[Category:Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates]]