Dr. Richard Royce Schrock is a distinguished chemist and Nobel laureate who currently serves as Distinguished Professor and George K. Helmkamp Founder's Chair of Chemistry at the University of California, Riverside. Born in Berne, Indiana in 1945, he completed his undergraduate studies at UC Riverside, earning his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1967 before pursuing graduate studies at Harvard University where he received his Ph.D. in 1971 under the direction of John A. Osborn. Following a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at Cambridge University, he spent three years conducting research at DuPont before joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty in 1975. At MIT, he rose to become the Frederick G. Keyes Professor of Chemistry and established himself as a leading figure in organometallic chemistry through his groundbreaking research on catalytic reactions.
Schrock is internationally renowned for his pioneering work on olefin metathesis, a fundamental chemical reaction that allows for the rearrangement of carbon-carbon double bonds in organic molecules. In 1990, he succeeded in producing the first efficient metal-compound catalyst for metathesis, specifically developing high oxidation state alkylidene complexes of molybdenum and tungsten through alpha-hydrogen abstraction in metal alkyl complexes. His discovery of these 'high oxidation state carbenes' revolutionized the field of organic synthesis by enabling more effective and environmentally sound chemical processes across pharmaceutical, materials science, and industrial applications. For this transformative work, Schrock was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2005, sharing the honor with Robert H. Grubbs and Yves Chauvin, with the Nobel Committee recognizing his role as the first to produce an efficient metal-compound catalyst for metathesis.
Beyond his Nobel-winning research, Schrock has maintained an active research program focused on the fundamental organometallic chemistry of molybdenum and tungsten complexes, with applications in controlled polymerization and organic synthesis. In 2018, he returned to his alma mater, UC Riverside, to mentor junior faculty and students, stating that he wished 'to give back some of what it gave to me' during his undergraduate research experience with James Pitts. As both a Professor Emeritus at MIT and a distinguished faculty member at UCR, he continues to contribute to the scientific community through research, teaching, and service as a co-founder of XiMo, Inc., a company focused on metathesis catalysts. His enduring legacy in chemistry has not only advanced fundamental understanding of catalytic processes but has also enabled practical applications that continue to shape sustainable chemical manufacturing worldwide.
