Richard Heck

The Heck reaction is a palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction that forms a new carbon–carbon bond between an unsaturated halide (or triflate) and an alkene. Developed by Richard Heck in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it has become one of the most widely used methods in organic synthesis and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Richard Heck shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki for their independent development of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in organic synthesis. The Heck reaction, along with the Negishi and Suzuki coupling reactions, collectively revolutionized how chemists construct complex carbon-based molecules.

Heck developed the palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction that bears his name while working at the Hercules Research Center in Wilmington, Delaware, in the late 1960s. He later joined the faculty at the University of Delaware, where he continued his research until his retirement.

The Heck reaction is used industrially to synthesize pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fine chemicals, including the production of the herbicide prosulfuron and components of the asthma drug montelukast (Singulair). Its reliability in forming carbon–carbon bonds under relatively mild conditions makes it a staple of process chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry.