Analysis for Science Librarians of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The Work of Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel

Abstract

The 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists, Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel, in recognition of their work in developing sophisticated computer models that can predict and explain complex chemical processes. Newtonian physics can be applied to understanding the properties of macromolecules, but it cannot be used to model the extremely rapid changes that occur during chemical reactions. Quantum physics can be used to describe the instantaneous changes that happen at reaction sites; however, quantum calculations are extremely demanding of computing resources. The novel idea behind the 2013 award is the combination of both classical Newtonian physics and quantum mechanics to model chemical reactions within large molecules, or what the Royal Swedish Academy has described as “multiscale models for complex chemical systems.”

KEYWORDS:

• Nobel prize
• Karplus
• Levitt
• Warshel

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author would like to thank Thomson Reuters for providing publication and citation data.