The awards ceremony for the 4^th Ryoji Noyori Prize was held on February 23, 2006 at the KKR Hotel Tokyo. The 2005 prize was awarded to Professor Tsutomu Katsuki, who is affiliated with the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Graduate School of Kyushu University. The chairman of the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (SSOCJ), Dr. Takeshi Nakai, presented Professor Katsuki with a certificate, medallion, and cash award of $10,000.

Professor Katsuki has been contributing to the advancement of ecological asymmetric synthesis as a leading chemist, demonstrating the power of molecular catalysis comparable to that of enzyme. He has discovered asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols in collaboration with Professor K. Barry Sharpless and recently reported asymmetric epoxidation of simple olefins using aqueous hydrogen peroxide. He first introduced chiral catalysts activated by photo-irradiation and realized various aerobic asymmetric oxidations.

After the awards ceremony, Professor Noyori spoke about this year's recipient: "The winner of this year's Ryoji Noyori Prize should be noted for two things. One is that he is the first Japanese person to receive the prize. Synthetic organic chemistry, which has focused on asymmetric synthesis up to this point, has been positioned as a national science and technology in Japan. I am happy to say that this year's award is proof that Japan is still at the forefront in this field. The second thing is the youthful age of the winner. At just 59 years of age, Professor Katsuki has great potential to produce even further contributions, and I believe this prize will encourage achievement among many other pioneering researchers like him."

Lastly, Professor Katsuki delivered an acceptance speech entitled, "The Invention of Dynamic Molecular Catalysis and the Development of Assymmetrical Reactions."

Past recipients: Henri B. Kagan (2002), Gilbert Stork (2003), Dieter Seebach (2004)

Professor Tsutomu Katsuki

The Takasago International "Ryoji Noyori Prize" The Ryoji Noyori Prize, sponsored by Takasago International Corporation, was established by the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan, to commemorate Professor Ryoji Noyori's 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, as well as the 60th anniversary of SSOCJ. The purpose of the prize is to recognize and encourage outstanding contributions to research in asymmetric synthetic chemistry defined in its broadest sense, without regard to age or nationality.