Answer
K. Barry Sharpless is an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001. He is known for his work on asymmetric epoxidation, which is a type of oxidation reaction. In asymmetric epoxidation, an enantiomerically pure epoxide is produced from an achiral starting material. This reaction is important because it allows for the synthesis of chiral compounds, which are often used in pharmaceuticals.