Davy Medal

The Davy Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society since 1877 for "an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". The medal is in bronze, depicting a bust of Humphry Davy, and is accompanied by a cash gift, currently £1000 (about €1200).

Year	Recipient(s)	Citation
2010	Carol Robinson	for her ground-breaking and novel use of mass spectrometry for the characterisation of large protein complexes.
2009	Jeremy Sanders	for his pioneering contributions to several fields, most recently to the field of dynamic combinatorial chemistry at the forefront of supramolecular chemistry.
2008	Fraser Stoddart	for his contributions in molecular technology. His work bridges the gap between chemistry and the scientific and engineering challenges of nanoelectromechanical systems.
2007	John Simons	for his many innovative experimental contributions to a broad area of chemical physics, including molecular reaction dynamics, molecular spectroscopy and most recently, biophysical chemistry.
2006	Martin Pope	for his pioneering work in the field of molecular semiconductors which has now become a large and important area of semiconductor science and technology.
2005	Chris Dobson	for his work on the application of NMR and other structural methods for studying protein folding and misfolding, especially the formation of amyloid fibrils, leading to novel insights on protein structure and folding.
2004	Takeshi Oka	for his many and varied contributions to molecular spectroscopy and its applications, particularly to astronomy.
2003	Roger Parsons	for his distinguished career in electochemistry. He developed the method of preparing, for the first time, clean and well-defined metal surfaces and putting them into contact with the electrolyte without contamination.
2002	Neil Bartlett	for his research exploring the highest oxidation limits of the less oxidizable elements, primarily using elemental flourine. He has exposed the new chemistry of the noble gases and new procedures for attaining high oxidation state limits across the elements of the periodic table.
2001	Alastair Ian Scott	for his pioneering contributions to the understanding of biosynthetic pathways, and in particular for his work on vitamin B12. He is a world leader in his area and the impact of his discoveries are likely to have a significant effect on the way natural product chemistry progresses into the future.
2000	Steven Victor Ley	in recognition of his invention of new synthetic methods applied to the synthesis of complex natural products including those from insects, micro-organisms and plants. Among his most outstanding successes have been the synthesis of avermectin B1a, tetronasin, the milbemycins and indanomycin as well as his important development of short, practical syntheses of oligosaccharides.
1999	Malcolm Harold Chisholm	in recognition of his leading work in inorganic chemistry, particularly his major impact on the chemistry of transition metals and his pioneering research on the unique triply metal-metal bonded dimolybdenum and ditungsten dialkylamides, alkoxides and alkyls, and for the use of these compounds in further important syntheses.
1998	Alan Roy Fersht	in recognition for his pioneering work on the analysis of proteins by combining the methods and ideas of physical-organic chemistry with those of protein engineering thus illuminating such processes as enzymatic catalysis, protein folding, protein-protein interactions and those macromolecule interactions in general that are dominated by the chemistry of the noncovalent bond.
1997	Jean-Marie Pierre Lehn	in recognition of his work on supramolecular chemistry, on self-assembling molecules and on chemical devices.
1996	Geoffrey Wilkinson	in recognition of his contribution to organotransition metal chemistry and the development of homogeneous catalysis and his work on hydroformylation.
1995	M. L. H. Green	in recognition of his contribution to organometallic chemistry with particular application to catalytic reactions.
1994	John Meurig Thomas	for his pioneering studies of solid-state chemistry, and for the major advances he has made in the design of new materials for heterogeneous catalysis.
1993	Jack E. Baldwin	distinguished for his contributions to bio-organic chemistry, in particular to an understanding of the biosynthesis of beta-lactam antibodies.
1992	A. Carrington	distinguished for the determination and characterization of the molecular spectra of transient species.
1991	J. R. Knowles	in recognition of his contributions to mechanistic chemistry integrated with enzymology, particularly the application of chemical methods to solve fundamental biological problems of recognition and catalysis.
1990	Keith Usherwood Ingold	for pioneering the quantitative study of free radical reactions in solution, in glasses and in living organisms, particularly using electron magnetic resonance.
1989	Francis Gordon Albert Stone	In recognition of his many distinguished contributions to organometallic chemistry, including the discovery that species containing carbon-metal of metal-metal multiple bonds are versatile reagents for synthesis of cluster compounds with bonds between different transition elements.
1988	J. A. Pople	In recognition of his wide-ranging contributions to theoretical chemistry, especially his development and application of techniques for the computation of molecular wave-functions and properties.
1987	Alec John Jeffreys	In recognition of his contributions to the chemistry of human DNA - in particular the discovery and exploitation of hypervariable satellites in the human genome.
1986	A. G. Ogston	In recognition of his early seminal proposal of the ways enzymes deal asymmetrically with symmetrical substrates and his later quantitative analysis of macromolecule interactions which elucidated polymer exclusion effects.
1985	Jack Lewis	For his outstanding work on the structure and reactivity of metal cluster compounds, including pioneering work on carbido and hydrido derivatives, and pi-donor organic molecules.
1984	Sam Edwards	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the theoretical basis of thermodynamic aspects of polymer chemistry.
1983	Duilio Arigoni	In recognition of his distinguished creativity in the fields of biosynthesis and bioorganic stereochemistry.
1982	Michael James Steuart Dewar	In recognition of his distinguished studies of the mechanisms of a wide range of chemical reactions based on semi-empirical wave mechanical calculations.
1981	Ralph Alexander Raphael	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to organic synthesis and in particular his ingenious applications of acetylenic intermediates.
1980	Alan Woodworth Johnson	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the chemistry of natural products including vitamin B12 porphyrins, plant germination factors and insect hormones and pheromones.
1979	Joseph Chatt	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to transition metal chemistry and the understanding of catalysis involving ligating molecules such as olefins or dinitrogen.
1978	Albert Eschenmoser	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to modern synthetic organic chemistry, well illustrated by his impressive total synthesis of vitamin B12.
1977	Alan Rushton Battersby	In recognition of his outstanding and internationally recognized contributions to biosynthesis - his meticulous and logical unravelling of the complex pathways by which alkaloids and porphyrins are elaborated in vivo.
1976	Rex Edward Richards	In recognition of his outstanding contributions to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and its application to chemical and biological problems.
1975	Theodore Morris Sugden	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to physical chemistry including particularly the reactions occurring in flames.
1974	James Baddiley	In recognition of his distinguished researches on coenzyme A and studies of the constituents of bacterial cell walls.
1973	John Stuart Anderson	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to chemistry especially on the structural investigation of imperfect surfaces and non-stoichiometric materials.
1972	Arthur John Birch	In recognition of his distinguished biosynthetic studies of organic natural products and his development of new reagents for reduction processes.
1971	George Porter	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to our understanding of chemical reactions.
1970	Charles Alfred Coulson	In recognition of his distinguished work in theoretical chemistry.
1969	Frederick Sydney Dainton	In recognition of his distinguished work on the mechanisms of chemical reactions.
1968	John Warcup Cornforth George Joseph Popjak	In recognition of their distinguished joint work on the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway to polyisoprenoids and steroids.
1967	Vladimir Prelog	In recognition of his distinguished work in the development of stereochemical concepts and on the structure of alkaloids and antibiotics.
1966	Ewart Jones	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to synthetic organic chemistry and to the elucidation of the structures of natural products.
1965	Harold Warris Thompson	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to infra-red spectroscopy and its application to chemical problems.
1964	Melvin Calvin	In recognition of his pioneering work in chemistry and biology, particularly his elucidation of the photosynthetic pathway for the incorporation of carbon dioxide by plants.
1963	Edmund John Bowen	In recognition of his distinguished work on the elucidation of photochemical reactions, and for his study of fluorescence and phosphorescence in relation to the molecular processes concerned.
1962	Harry Julius Emeleus	In recognition of his distinguished researches in inorganic chemistry and the discovery and examination of a wide range of new compounds.
1961	Derek Harold Richard Barton	In recognition of his distinguished researches in organic chemistry, particularly on the structure and stereochemistry of natural products of the terpene and steroid series; and the analysis of the conformation of cyclic structures.
1960	John Monteath Robertson	In recognition of his distinguished pioneering work on the analysis of crystal structure, especially of organic compounds.
1959	Robert Burns Woodward	In recognition of his distinguished researches in organic chemistry and particularly for his contributions to the structure and synthesis of natural products.
1958	Ronald George Wreyford Norrish	In recognition of his distinguished work in chemical kinetics, especially in photochemistry.
1957	Kathleen Lonsdale	In recognition of her distinguished studies in the structure and growth of crystals.
1956	Robert Downs Haworth	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the chemistry of natural products particularly those containing heterocyclic systems.
1955	Harry Work Melville	In recognition of his distinguished work in physical chemistry and in polymer reactions.
1954	James Wilfred Cook	For his distinguished fundamental investigations in organic chemistry.
1953	John Lennard-Jones	For his distinguished work on the applications of quantum mechanics to the theory of valency and to the analysis of the intimate structure of decimal compounds.
1952	Alexander Robertson	In recognition of his researches into the chemistry of natural products, particularly the wide range of glycosides, bitter principles and colouring matters containing heterocyclic oxygen atoms.
1951	Eric Rideal	For his distinguished contributions to the subject of surface chemistry.
1950	John Simonsen	For his distinguished researches on the constitution of natural products, especially the plant hydro-carbons and their derivatives.
1949	Alexander Robertus Todd	For his structural synthetic studies and achievements in organic and bio-chemistry, with special reference to vitamins B1 and E and the naturally occurring nucleosides.
1948	Edmund Langley Hirst	In recognition of his outstanding work in the determination of the structure of sugars, starches, plant gums and especially of vitamin C.
1947	Linus Carl Pauling	In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the theory of valency and for theor application to systems of biological importance.
1946	Christopher Kelk Ingold	In recognition of his distinguished work in applying physical methods to problems in organic chemistry.
1945	Robert Adams	In recognition of his extensive researches in the field of organic chemistry and of his recent work in the alkaloid field.
1944	Robert Robertson	In recognition of his researches on explosives, analytical methods, the internal structure of diamond, and infra-red absorption spectra.
1943	Ian Morris Heilbron	In recognition of his many notable contributions to organic chemistry, especially to the chemistry of natural products of physiological importance.
1942	Cyril Norman Hinshelwood	In recognition of his distinguished work on the mechanism of chemical reactions.
1941	Henry Drysdale Dakin	For his work as a pioneer in biochemical research and especially because of his fundamental contributions to the study of intermediate metabolism.
1940	Harold Clayton Urey	For his isolation of deuterium, the heavy hydrogen isotope, and for his work on this and other isotopes in following the detailed course of chemical reactions.
1939	James William McBain	For having opened up the study of colloidal electrolytes, provided the elements of the guiding theory, and developed the subject.
1938	George Barger	In recognition of his distinguished researches on alkaloids and other natural products.
1937	Hans Fischer	In recognition of his work on the chemistry of the porphyrins, particularly his determination of their detailed structure by degradation and his syntheses of porphyrins of biological importance.
1936	William Arthur Bone	For his pioneer work on contact catalysis and his researches on the mechanism of combustion of hydrocarbons and on the nature of flames and on gaseous explosions.
1935	Arthur Harden	For his distinguished work in biochemistry and especially for his fundamental discoveries in the chemistry of alcoholic fermentation.
1934	Walter Norman Haworth	For his researches on the molecular structure of carbohydrates.
1933	William Hobson Mills	For his researches in organic chemistry, and for his work on the synthesis and properties of the cyanine dyes, and more especially for his investigation of novel types of asymmetric molecules.
1932	Richard Willstätter	For his distinguished researches in organic chemistry.
1931	Arthur Lapworth	For his researches in organic chemistry, particularly those connected with tautomerism and the mechanism of organic reactions.
1930	Robert Robinson	For his work on the constitution and synthesis of natural products; also for his contributions to the theory of organic reactions.
1929	Gilbert Newton Lewis	For his contributions to classical thermodynamics and the theory of valency.
1928	Frederick George Donnan	For his contributions to physical chemistry and particularly for his theory of membrane equilibrium.
1927	Arthur Amos Noyes	For his work in physical chemistry, especially on the subject of electrolytic solutions.
1926	James Walker	For his work on the theory of ionisation.
1925	James Irvine	For his work on the constitution of the sugars.
1924	Arthur George Perkin	For his researches on the structure of natural colouring matters.
1923	Herbert B. Baker	For his researches on the complete drying of gases and liquids.
1922	Jocelyn Field Thorpe	For his researches in synthetic organic chemistry.
1921	Philippe A. Guye	For his researches in physical chemistry.
1920	Charles T. Heycock	On the ground of his work in physical chemistry and more especially on the composition & constitution of alloys.
1919	Percy F. Frankland	On the ground of his distinguished work in chemistry, especially that on optical activity, and on fermentation.
1918	F. Stanley Kipping	On the ground of his studies in the camphor group and among the organic derivatives of nitrogen and silicon.
1917	Albin Haller	On the ground of his important researches in the domain of organic chemistry.
1916	Henri le Châtelier	On the ground of his eminence as a chemist.
1915	Paul Sabatier	For his researches on contact action, and the application of finely divided metals as catalytic agents.
1914	William Jackson Pope	On the ground of his important contributions to structural & organic chemistry.
1913	Raphael Meldola	On the ground of work in synthetic chemistry.
1912	Otto Wallach	On the ground of his researches on the chemistry of the essential oils, and the cyclo-olefines.
1911	Henry Edward Armstrong	On the ground of his researches in organic and general chemistry.
1910	Theodore W. Richards	On the ground of his researches on the detrmination of atomic weights.
1909	James Dewar	On the ground of his researches at low temperatures.
1908	William A. Tilden	On the ground of his discoveries in chemistry, especially on the terpenes and on atomic heats.
1907	Edward Williams Morley	On the ground of his contributions to physics and chemistry, and especially for his determinations of the relative atomic weights of hydrogen & oxygen.
1906	Rudolf Fittig	For his investigations in chemistry especially his work on lactones and acids.
1905	Albert Ladenburg	For his researches in organic chemistry, especially in connection with the synthesis of natural alkaloids.
1904	William Henry Perkin, Jr.	For his notable discoveries in organic chemistry.
1903	Pierre Curie Marie Curie	For their researches on radium.
1902	Svante August Arrhenius	For the application of the theory of dissociation to the explanation of chemical change.
1901	George Downing Living	For his contributions to spectroscopy.
1900	Guglielmo Koerner	For his brilliant investigations on the position theory of the aromatic compounds.
1899	Edward Schunck	For his researches on madder, indigo, and chlorophyll.
1898	Johannes Wislicenus	For his contributions to organic chemistry especially in the domain of stereochemical isomerism.
1897	John Hall Gladstone	For his numerous contributions to chemical science, and especially for his important work in the application of optical methods to chemistry.
1896	Henri Moissan	For the isolation of fluorine, and the use of the electric furnace in the preparation of refractory metals and their compounds.
1895	William Ramsay	For his share in the discovery of argon, and for his discoveries regarding gaseous constituents of terrestrial minerals.
1894	Per Theodor Cleve	For his researches on the chemistry of the rare earths.
1893	J. H. van 't Hoff J. A. Le Bel	In recognition of their introduction of the theory of asymmetric carbon, and its use in explaining the constitution of optically active carbon compounds.
1892	François Marie Raoult	For his researches on the freezing points of solutions, and on the vapour pressures of solutions.
1891	Victor Meyer	For his researches on the determination of vapour densities at high temperatures.
1890	Emil Fischer	For his discoveries in organic chemistry and especially for his researches on the carbo-hydrates.
1889	William Henry Perkin	For his researches on magnetic rotation in relation to chemical constitution.
1888	William Crookes	For his investigations on the behaviour of substances under the influences of the electric discharge in a high vacuum.
1887	John A. R. Newlands	For his discovery of the periodic law of the chemical elements.
1886	Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac	For his researches on atomic weights.
1885	Jean Servais Stas	For his researches on the atomic weights.
1884	Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe	For his researches in the isomerism of alcohols.
1883	Marcellin Berthelot Julius Thomsen	For their researches in thermo-chemistry.
1882	D. Mendelejeff Lothar Meyer	For their discovery of the periodic relations of the atomic weights.
1881	Adolf Baeyer	For his synthesis of indigo.
1880	Charles Friedel	For his researches on the organic compounds of silicon, and other investigations.
1879	Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran	For his discovery of gallium.
1878	Louis Paul Cailletet Raoul Pictet	For their researches, conducted independently, but contemporaneously, on the condensation of the so-called permanent gases.
1877	Robert William Bunsen Gustav Robert Kirchhoff	For their researches & discoveries in spectrum analysis.
Source: unless otherwise stated, Royal Society.

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