Mario Molina was born in 1943. He was born in Mexico City, the son of a diplomat. He earned his chemical engineering degree in Mexico and then studied in Germany before obtaining his PhD from Berkeley.

Molina co-authored a paper in the popular journal Nature. However, it was his work with CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon gases) that would later qualify Mario J. Molina for the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Molina's role was instrumental. However, his win would be shared with Paul J. Crutzen and F. Sherwood Rowland. He was the only Mexican man to be awarded such a distinctive honor for work accomplished in the field of science.

Today, Molina continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the realm of scientific study. He has been the recipient of more than eighteen honorary degrees and he is regarded as one of the most influential chemists in the world today.

Molina's 1995 Nobel Prize win came from his innate ability to elude a pending threat to the Earth's ozone layer. Through his commitment to study and his ingenious mind, Molina and his colleagues were able to make a profound difference on the earth.

The Asteroid 9680 Molina was named after Mario J. Molina. It signifies Molina's influence in the field of science.