These ordinary chemical products contain the ingredients for a groundbreaking chemical innovation. This is a pack of sweetener containing the amino acid phenylalanine. The bottle contains acetone, which can be used to remove paint. David MacMillan's research team combined these two molecules to make the first example of a new type of catalyst: an organocatalyst. Two everyday, inexpensive and sustainable substances that could be combined to make a catalyst for a diversity of chemical reactions.
David MacMillan donated the sweetener and acetone to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2022.
