刚刚，2021年诺贝尔化学奖揭晓
北京时间10月6日下午5点45分，2021年诺贝尔化学奖揭晓：德国化学家本杰明·利斯特（Benjamin List）和美国化学家大卫·迈克米伦（David W.C. MacMillan）共同获奖，获奖理由：“在不对称有机催化方面的发展”（for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis）作出的贡献。
无注释原文：
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Scientists for Creating a Tool to Build Molecules
The New York Times
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan for their development of a new tool to build molecules, work that has spurred advances in pharmaceutical research and lessened the impact of chemistry on the environment.
Their work, while unseen by consumers, is an essential part in many leading industries and is crucial for research.
Chemists are among those tasked with constructing molecules that can form elastic and durable materials, store energy in batteries or inhibit the progression of diseases.
But that work requires catalysts, which are substances that control and accelerate chemical reactions without becoming part of the final product.
“For example, catalysts in cars transform toxic substances in exhaust fumes to harmless molecules,” the Nobel committee said in a statement. “Our bodies also contain thousands of catalysts in the form of enzymes, which chisel out the molecules necessary for life.”
The problem was that there were just two types of catalysts available: metals and enzymes.
In 2000, Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan — working independently of each other — developed a new type of catalysis that reduced waste and allowed for novel ways to construct molecules.
It is called asymmetric organocatalysis and builds upon small organic molecules.
“This concept for catalysis is as simple as it is ingenious, and the fact is that many people have wondered why we didn’t think of it earlier,” said Johan Aqvist, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
Why is the work important?
Virtually everyone on the planet has come across a product that has benefited from a chemist’s expertise. The process of using catalysts to break down molecules or join them together is essential in industry and research.
Catalysis is what makes plastics possible; it also allows the manufacture of products such as food flavorings to target the taste buds and perfumes to tickle the nose.
About 35 percent of the world’s gross domestic product involves chemical catalysis.
But until 2000 and the discovery by the Nobel laureates, the tools at the disposal of chemists were the equivalent of hammers and chisels.
“If we compare nature’s ability to build chemical creations with our own, we were long stuck in the Stone Age,” the Nobel committee wrote.
In nature, enzymes do the work of constructing the molecular complexes that give life its shape, color and function.
The catalysts previously used by chemists could be broken down into two groups: metals or enzymes.
“Metals are often excellent catalysts because they have a special ability to temporarily accommodate electrons or to provide them to other molecules during a chemical process,” the committee wrote. “This helps loosen the bonds between the atoms in a molecule, so bonds that are otherwise strong can be broken and new ones can form.”
But to work, some metal catalysts need to be in an environment free of oxygen and moisture — hard to achieve in many large-scale industries. And many such catalysts are heavy metals, which can be harmful to the environment.
In nature, enzymes are used as catalysts with astounding precision. That is the process by which complicated — and vital — molecules such as cholesterol and chlorophyll are formed.
Because enzymes are so efficient, researchers in the 1990s tried to develop enzyme variants as catalysts to drive the chemical reactions needed by industry and in manufacturing.
But the process used before the discoveries made by Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan led to vast amounts of waste.
“During chemical construction, a situation often arises in which two molecules can form, which — just like our hands — are each other’s mirror image,” the committee wrote. “Chemists often just want one of these mirror images, particularly when producing pharmaceuticals, but it has been difficult to find efficient methods for doing this.”
The concept developed by Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan — asymmetric organocatalysis — offered a solution. The new process paved the way for creating molecules that can serve purposes as varied as making lightweight running shoes and inhibiting the progress of disease in the body.
“Why did no one come up with this simple, green and cheap concept for asymmetric catalysis earlier?” the committee wrote. “This question has many answers. One is that the simple ideas are often the most difficult to imagine.”
- ◆ -
注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应
含注释全文：
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Scientists for Creating a Tool to Build Molecules
The New York Times
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan for their development of a new tool to build molecules, work that has spurred advances in pharmaceutical research and lessened the impact of chemistry on the environment.
诺贝尔化学奖于周三授予本杰明·利斯特（Benjamin List）和大卫·迈克米伦（David MacMillan），以表彰他们开发了一种构建分子的新工具，这项工作推动了医药研究的进步并减少了化学对环境的影响。
molecular
molecular /məʊˈlɛkjʊlə/ 表示“分子的”，英文解释为“Molecular means relating to or involving molecules.”，如：the molecular structure of fuel 燃料的分子结构。
spur
spur表示“鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：
It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats.
是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。
🎬电影《龙之心3：巫师的诅咒》（Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse）中的台词提到：To spur the clans to war. 激励部族发起战争。
pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical /ˌfɑːməˈsjuːtɪkəl/ 表示“制药的；配药的；卖药的”，英文解释为“connected with making and selling drugs and medicines”，如：pharmaceutical products 药物，pharmaceutical companies 制药公司，the pharmaceutical industry 制药业。
Their work, while unseen by consumers, is an essential part in many leading industries and is crucial for research.
他们的工作虽然不为消费者所见，但却是许多领先行业的重要组成部分，对研究至关重要。
Chemists are among those tasked with constructing molecules that can form elastic and durable materials, store energy in batteries or inhibit the progression of diseases.
化学家的任务之一是构建能够形成弹性和耐用材料的分子，在电池中储存能量或抑制疾病的发展。
elastic
表示“有弹性的”，英文解释为“An elastic material is able to stretch and be returned to its original shape or size.”举个🌰：
A lot of sportswear is made of very elastic material.
许多运动装都是用弹性很大的材料制成的。
inhibit
表示“阻止；阻碍；抑制”，英文解释为“to prevent sth from happening or make it happen more slowly or less frequently than normal”举个🌰：
A lack of oxygen may inhibit brain development in the unborn child.
缺氧可能阻碍胎儿的大脑发育。
But that work requires catalysts, which are substances that control and accelerate chemical reactions without becoming part of the final product.
但这项工作需要催化剂，即控制和加速化学反应的物质，而不成为最终产品的一部分。
catalyst
catalyst /ˈkætəlɪst/ 表示“催化剂”（a substance that makes a chemical reaction happen faster without being changed itself），也有“促使变化的人；引发变化的因素”的含义，英文解释为“a person or thing that causes a change”举个🌰：
I see my role as being a catalyst for change.
我认为我的角色是促成变革。
📍 2020年政府工作报告Part 15中就出现类似的说法，以开放促改革促发展 make opening up a catalyst for reform and development，字面意思就是：让开放成为改革和发展的催化剂，以...(sth.) 促进 ... 就可以说：make sth. a catalyst for ...
word
表示“物质；材料”，英文解释为“material with particular physical characteristics”如：an organic/chemical substance 有机/化学物质。
“For example, catalysts in cars transform toxic substances in exhaust fumes to harmless molecules,” the Nobel committee said in a statement. “Our bodies also contain thousands of catalysts in the form of enzymes, which chisel out the molecules necessary for life.”
诺贝尔委员会在一份声明中说：“例如，汽车中的催化剂将废气（exhaust fumes）中的有毒物质转化为无害分子。我们的身体也含有数以千计的酶形式的催化剂，它们创造出了生命所需的分子。”
toxic
toxic /ˈtɒksɪk/ 表示“有毒的；引起中毒的”，相当于poisonous，如：toxic waste/chemicals/effluent 有毒的废料/化学品/废水，牛津词典2018年度词汇就是：Toxic.
exhaust
作名词，表示“（引擎排出的）废气；（尤指汽车的）尾气；排气管”，英文解释为“the waste gas from an engine, especially a car's, or the pipe the gas flows through”。
fumes
表示“（浓重难闻，有时有害的）烟，烟雾，气”，英文解释为“strong, unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous gas or smoke”。
enzyme
enzyme /'enzaɪm ;ˋɛnzaɪm / 表示“酶”，英文解释为“a chemical substance that is produced in a plant or animal, and helps chemical changes to take place in the plant or animal”
chisel
chisel /ˈtʃɪzəl/ 作名词，表示“凿子”，作动词，表示“（用凿子）凿，雕，刻”，英文解释为“to use a chisel”举个🌰：
She chiselled a figure out of the marble.
她用大理石雕刻出一个人像。
The problem was that there were just two types of catalysts available: metals and enzymes.
问题是，目前只有两种类型的催化剂：金属和酶。
In 2000, Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan — working independently of each other — developed a new type of catalysis that reduced waste and allowed for novel ways to construct molecules.
2000年，利斯特博士和迈克米伦博士--彼此独立工作--开发了一种新型的催化作用，减少了浪费并能够以新的方式构建分子。
catalysis
catalysis /kəˈtælɪsɪs/ 表示“催化作用”，英文解释为“the process of making a chemical reaction happen more quickly by using a catalyst”。
It is called asymmetric organocatalysis and builds upon small organic molecules.
它被称为不对称有机催化（asymmetric organocatalysis），建立有机小分子之上。
asymmetric
asymmetric /ˌæsɪˈmɛtrɪk/ 表示“不对称的；不匀称的”，英文解释为“with two halves, sides, or parts that are not exactly the same in shape and size”。
“This concept for catalysis is as simple as it is ingenious, and the fact is that many people have wondered why we didn't think of it earlier,” said Johan Aqvist, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
诺贝尔化学委员会主席约翰·阿克维斯特（Johan Aqvist）说：“这种催化概念既简单又巧妙，事实上，许多人都想知道为什么我们没有更早想到它。”
ingenious
表示“（人）灵巧的；（物品等）制作精巧的；（方法等）巧妙的”，英文解释为“Something that is ingenious is very clever and involves new ideas, methods, or equipment.”如：a truly ingenious invention 一项的确新颖的发明。
Why is the work important? 为什么这项工作很重要？
Virtually everyone on the planet has come across a product that has benefited from a chemist's expertise. The process of using catalysts to break down molecules or join them together is essential in industry and research.
地球上几乎每个人都曾遇到过受益于化学家专业知识的产品。使用催化剂来分解或合成分子的过程在工业和研究中至关重要。
expertise
表示“专门技能（知识）；专长”，英文解释为“a high level of knowledge or skill”举个🌰：
We admired the expertise with which he prepared the meal.
我们很羡慕他那一手烹调绝活。
Catalysis is what makes plastics possible; it also allows the manufacture of products such as food flavorings to target the taste buds and perfumes to tickle the nose.
催化作用使塑料成为可能；它还能够制造满足味蕾的食品香料、刺激鼻子的香水等产品。
flavoring/flavouring
表示“调味品；调味香料”，英文解释为“something that is added to food or drink to give it a particular taste”。
taste buds
表示“味蕾”，英文解释为“a group of cells, found especially on the tongue, that allow different tastes to be recognized”
About 35 percent of the world's gross domestic product involves chemical catalysis.
世界国内生产总值的大约35%涉及化学催化。
But until 2000 and the discovery by the Nobel laureates, the tools at the disposal of chemists were the equivalent of hammers and chisels.
但在2000年，这两位诺贝尔奖得主的发现之前，化学家所掌握的工具相当于锤子和凿子。
laureate
laureate /ˈlɔːrɪɪt/ 表示“荣誉获得者；获奖者”，英文解释为“a person who has been given an official honour or prize for sth important they have achieved”，如：a Nobel laureate 诺贝尔奖获得者。
at sb's disposal
表示“可供…使用”，英文解释为“available to be used by someone”举个🌰：
I would take you if I could, but I don't have a car at my disposal this week.
我会尽可能带上你，但是这周我没汽车可用。
equivalent
1）作形容词，表示“（价值、数量、意义、重要性等）相等的，相同的”，英文解释为“equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc.”举个🌰：
Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles.
八公里约等于五英里。
2）作名词，表示“相等的东西；等量；对应词”，英文解释为“a thing, amount, word, etc. that is equivalent to sth else”。
通常，提到Weibo时候会介绍为中国版的Twitter，常见的有几种说法：
🧣Weibo, China's Twitter-like service (SCMP)
🧣Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter (NPR NEWS)
🧣Twitter-like Weibo (Reuters)
🧣Weibo, a Twitter-like platform (NYT)
“If we compare nature's ability to build chemical creations with our own, we were long stuck in the Stone Age,” the Nobel committee wrote.
诺贝尔委员会写道：“如果我们把大自然建造化学制品的能力与我们自己的能力相比，我们长期以来一直停留在石器时代（the Stone Age）。”
In nature, enzymes do the work of constructing the molecular complexes that give life its shape, color and function.
在自然界中，酶完成了构建分子复合物的工作，这些复合物赋予生命以形状、颜色和功能。
The catalysts previously used by chemists could be broken down into two groups: metals or enzymes.
化学家以前使用的催化剂可以分成两类：金属或酶。
“Metals are often excellent catalysts because they have a special ability to temporarily accommodate electrons or to provide them to other molecules during a chemical process,” the committee wrote. “This helps loosen the bonds between the atoms in a molecule, so bonds that are otherwise strong can be broken and new ones can form.”
委员会写道：“金属通常是优秀的催化剂，因为它们有一种特殊的能力，可以在化学过程中暂时容纳电子或向其他分子提供电子。这有助于松开分子中原子之间的键，因此，原本牢固的键可以被打破，形成新的键。”
electron
表示“电子”，英文解释为“an extremely small piece of matter with a negative electrical charge”。
But to work, some metal catalysts need to be in an environment free of oxygen and moisture — hard to achieve in many large-scale industries. And many such catalysts are heavy metals, which can be harmful to the environment.
但要发挥作用，一些金属催化剂需要在没有氧气和水分的环境中进行，这在许多大规模工业中很难实现。而且许多这样的催化剂是重金属，可能对环境有害。
In nature, enzymes are used as catalysts with astounding precision. That is the process by which complicated — and vital — molecules such as cholesterol and chlorophyll are formed.
在自然界中，酶以令人震惊的精度被用作催化剂。胆固醇和叶绿素等复杂且重要的分子就是在这个过程中形成的。
astounding
表示“令人震惊的”，英文解释为“If something is astounding, you are shocked or amazed that it could exist or happen.”举个🌰：
The results are quite astounding.
这些结果非常令人震惊。
区分：
📍astonishing 令人惊讶的；惊人的（very surprising），举个🌰：
Her first book enjoyed an astonishing success.
她的第一本书取得了惊人的成功。
cholesterol
cholesterol /kə'lɛstərɔl/ 表示“胆固醇”，英文解释为“Cholesterol is a substance that exists in the fat, tissues, and blood of all animals. Too much cholesterol in a person's blood can cause heart disease.”如：a dangerously high cholesterol level. 危险的高胆固醇水平。
chlorophyll
chlorophyll /ˈklɔːrəfɪl/ 表示“叶绿素”，英文解释为“the green substance in plants, that allows them to use the energy from the sun”。
Because enzymes are so efficient, researchers in the 1990s tried to develop enzyme variants as catalysts to drive the chemical reactions needed by industry and in manufacturing.
由于酶的效率如此之高，20世纪90年代的研究人员试图开发酶的变体作为催化剂来驱动工业和制造业所需的化学反应。
variant
表示“变体；变种”，英文解释为“A variant of a particular thing is something that has a different form from that thing, although it is related to it.”举个🌰：
The quagga was a strikingly beautiful variant of the zebra.
白氏斑马是一种极其美丽的斑马变种。
But the process used before the discoveries made by Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan led to vast amounts of waste.
但是在利斯特博士和麦克米伦博士的发现之前所使用的工艺导致了大量的浪费。
“During chemical construction, a situation often arises in which two molecules can form, which — just like our hands — are each other's mirror image,” the committee wrote. “Chemists often just want one of these mirror images, particularly when producing pharmaceuticals, but it has been difficult to find efficient methods for doing this.”
委员会写道：“在化学构建过程中，经常会出现一种情况，即可以形成两个分子，它们--就像我们的手一样--是彼此的镜像。化学家经常只想要这些镜像中的一个，特别是在生产药品时，但一直很难找到有效的方法来做到这一点。”
The concept developed by Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan — asymmetric organocatalysis — offered a solution. The new process paved the way for creating molecules that can serve purposes as varied as making lightweight running shoes and inhibiting the progress of disease in the body.
利斯特博士和麦克米伦博士提出的概念--不对称有机催化--提供了一个解决方案。这一新工艺推动了分子构建，这些分子可用于制造轻质跑鞋和抑制身体内疾病的发展等不同目的。
pave the way
表示“（为…）铺平道路，（为…）创造条件”，英文解释为“If something paves the way for/to something else, it makes the other thing possible.”举个🌰：
Scientists hope that data from the probe will pave the way for a more detailed exploration of Mars.
科学家们希望探测飞船发回的数据会为更深入地探索火星提供条件。
“Why did no one come up with this simple, green and cheap concept for asymmetric catalysis earlier?” the committee wrote. “This question has many answers. One is that the simple ideas are often the most difficult to imagine.”
委员会写道：“为什么没有人早些提出这种简单、绿色且便宜的不对称催化概念？这个问题有很多答案。一个是简单的想法往往是最难想象的。”
公众号后台对话框里发送：666
参与抽奖（10月8日0点开）
公众号后台对话框里发送：沙发
查看沙发计划，抢沙发拿奖励
公众号后台对话框里发送：打卡
参与每天持续行动打卡计划
公众号后台对话框里发送：提问
查看提问指南，不懂就查再问
- 那年今日 -
- END -
LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2021年10月6日
第2433天
每天持续行动学外语