The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1990 was awarded to Elias James Corey "for his development of the theory and methodology of organic synthesis".
 

Elias J. Corey, USA, for his important contributions to synthetic organic chemistry. He has developed theories and methods that have made it possible to produce a large variety of biologically highly active, complicated natural products, thereby making, among other things, certain pharmaceuticals commercially available. Corey's work has also led to new general methods of producing, synthesising, compounds in simpler ways.