Sharpless, K. Barry (1941-...), an American chemist, won a share of the 2001 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his creation of molecules that are widely used in the manufacture of drugs and other products. He shared the prize with the American chemist William S. Knowles and the Japanese chemist Ryoji Noyori. Knowles and Noyori created molecules that function in much the same way as those developed by Sharpless. The three scientists worked separately.