Three scientists on Wednesday won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) that can be used to capture carbon dioxide and harvest water from desert air, among other things.

Japan’s Susumu Kitagawa, UK-born Richard Robson and American-Jordanian Omar Yaghi were honoured for their groundbreaking discoveries dating from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.

“These constructions, metal–organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions,” the jury said.

Commentators have for years suggested Yaghi, 60, was a strong contender for the prize, with Kitagawa, 74, also often floated alongside.

“Imagine that the tools of chemistry could be used to create entirely new materials with

See Full Page