ThePrint ThePrintAM: How Chemistry Nobel winners changed definition of ‘solid matter’?
Oct 9, 2025
Discover how recent Nobel winners redefined solid matter with their groundbreaking work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These crystalline, porous solids have properties that allow them to mimic gaseous behavior at a molecular level. Learn about remarkable applications like harvesting water from desert air and efficient gas storage, all illustrated by the imaginative analogy of Hermione's handbag. Delve into the pioneers behind MOFs and their legacy, transforming chemistry through innovative structures and global solutions.
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MOFs Redefine Solid Matter
- The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry celebrates metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that blur solids and gases at the molecular level.
- MOFs create porous, flexible solids with gas-like behavior opening new chemistry possibilities.
Researchers Built MOFs Like Legos
- Richard Robson started linking atoms to build new structures in 1974 and set the conceptual foundation for MOFs.
- Susumu Kitagawa later built porous MOFs in 1992 and Omar Yaghi named the class 'metal-organic frameworks'.
Kitagawa's 1997 Breakthrough
- Susumu Kitagawa built a cobalt- or zinc-based MOF in 1997 that accommodated gases like nitrogen, oxygen and methane.
- His breakthrough demonstrated that porous metal-organic structures can selectively host gases.
