Yves Chauvin (1930–2015), Metathesis Pioneer and 2005 Nobel Chemistry Laureate

French chemist Yves Chauvin died on January 28, 2015 at the age of 84. Chauvin was Honorary Research Director at the Institut Français du Pétrole and noted for his work on the process of metathesis, for which he was awarded the 2005 Nobel Chemistry Prize along with American chemists Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R. Schrock. The major concern of Chauvin’s research involved metathesis, a reaction of olefin transformation in which double bonds are broken, and the atom groups change places and reform new molecules. Chauvin’s personal and professional career are discussed with emphasis on metathesis.