Prakash Garners Tolman Award

G . K. Surya Prakash, George A. & Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry at the University of Southern California and scientific codirector of the USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, is the recipient of the 2006 Richard C. Tolman Medal, given annually by the ACS Southern California Section to honor outstanding contributions to chemistry in Southern California.

Prakash's pioneering work in the development of new ways to add fluorine to organic compounds has been critical to the boom in fluorinated molecules over the past few decades. His research has yielded a method for converting natural gas to hydrocarbon liquids and a high-efficiency, zero-emission fuel cell that converts methanol to electrical energy.

Prakash received ACS's George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry in 2006.