Mario Molina- Nobel Prize Winner

 

Mario Molina: 

Mario J. Molina
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1995

Born: 19 March 1943, Mexico City, Mexico

Died: 7 October 2020, Mexico City, Mexico

Affiliation at the time of the award: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA

Prize motivation: “for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone”

Mario Molina was a Mexican chemist who was born on March 19, 1943, in Mexico City, Mexico. He received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1965, and then he earned his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1972.

Molina's research focused on atmospheric chemistry and the impact of human activity on the environment. In the 1970s, he and his colleague F. Sherwood Rowland discovered that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were commonly used in refrigerants and aerosol sprays, were damaging the ozone layer in the Earth's atmosphere. Their work helped lead to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, an international treaty aimed at phasing out the production and use of ozone-depleting substances.

Molina was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995, along with Rowland and Paul Crutzen, for their work on atmospheric chemistry. He also received numerous other awards and honors throughout his career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

Molina passed away on October 7, 2020, at the age of 77. His legacy continues to inspire scientists and policymakers to address the urgent challenges facing our planet.