LOS ANGELES (AP) – George A. Olah, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his groundbreaking research into the unstable carbon molecules known as carbocations, has died at age 89.
Olah died Wednesday at his Beverly Hills home, according to the University of Southern California’s Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, of which he was founding director. No cause of death was provided.
Olah’s research, conducted over decades, helped pave the way for more effective oil refining and ways of producing less polluting forms of gasoline and other fuel. It also spurred pathways to medical research.
“Distinguished professor George Olah was a true legend in the field of chemistry,” USC President C. L. Max Nikias said in a statement Thursday. “His pioneering research fundamentally redefined the field’s landscape and will influence its scholarly work for generations to come.”
The Hungarian government offered its condolences for Olah, who fled Hungary during a 1950s Soviet crackdown on dissent.