Chemistry that works like Hermione’s magic handbag wins a 2025 chemistry Nobel

The innovative creation of expansive molecular architectures has led to the awarding of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three distinguished scientists.

These intricate structures, known as metal-organic frameworks, feature gaps that facilitate the storage of gases and various chemicals—sometimes in impressive volumes. This concept was likened by Olof Ramström, a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, to Hermione’s enchanted handbag from the Harry Potter series during the announcement by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on October 8. He remarked, “Compact on the outside, but incredibly extensive on the inside.”

The potential combinations of metal-organic frameworks are virtually limitless, as are their uses. These frameworks can harvest moisture from the air, producing drinking water even in arid regions. They are capable of capturing harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide emitted from industrial sources. Moreover, they can filter out persistent pollutants known as PFAS from water and recover rare earth elements from waste, noted Ramström. “The applications continue to expand,” he added.

This year’s accolade “showcases the greatest capability of chemistry: the design and construction of molecular frameworks that tackle worldwide challenges,” stated Dorothy Phillips, President of the American Chemical Society.

Back in the late 1980s, Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne uncovered that the fusion of copper ions with organic compounds yielded a crystalline formation reminiscent of diamond. However, while diamond structures are tightly packed, Robson’s design contained numerous voids which were found to be advantageous.

Robson shares the prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (over $1.1 million) with Susumu Kitagawa from Kyoto University and Omar Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley.

Shortly after Robson’s breakthrough, Kitagawa began synthesizing novel metal-organic frameworks, eventually developing one capable of absorbing gases such as methane, nitrogen, and oxygen. Around the same timeframe, Yaghi was also delving into the combination of metal ions and organic molecules. In 1999, he produced a remarkably stable structure, named MOF-5, which boasted an extraordinary surface area. Just a few grams, roughly the weight of a sugar cube, could cover as much area as a soccer field—thousands of square meters. This capability makes it an excellent candidate for absorbing substantial amounts of gas, according to Ramström.

Yaghi learned about his award while at the airport, where a phone notification about a call from Sweden piqued his curiosity. “It was an exhilarating moment,” he shared during a press conference, citing the non-stop ringing of his phone since that day.

Yaghi, whose parents were Palestinian refugees, migrated to the United States from Jordan as a teenager. He recognizes the U.S. public education system as pivotal to his achievements: “It enables individuals like me, from disadvantaged backgrounds, to work hard and achieve distinction.”