Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Week 10
 This week I talk to about latest study. The study is carbon nano tube (CNT). Do you know carbon nano tube? Carbon nano tube is fiber which is discovered recently. Carbon nano tube mainly has three kinds, Single-walled nano tube, Double-walled nano tube, Multi-walled nano tube. Carbon nano tube is expected to be used in many field. Carbon nano tube has some natures. Carbon nano tube has 10th higher thermal conductivity and 1000th higher resistance properties of electric current density than copper. This nature is expected as new semiconductor and fuel battery. Carbon nano tube is half weight of aluminum and 200th stronger than iron. For this nature, Carbon nano tube is thought to be used space elevator.
 Space elevator is elevator from the earth to space (geostationary obit). This system can cost down the cost of transportation for space. By contrast with rocket, space elevator do not harm environment and do not explode and do not fall. And we can go to the space not only space pilot but also elderly people, children and physical disability people. The origin of space elevator was Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovskiy who is called father of space travel. It is written that the centrifugal force and gravity balance in a point (geostationary orbit radius) if you build a tower from the equator to the space. In 1959, Yuri Artsutanov announced the concept of space elevator which extend cable up and down from geostationary orbit. By end of 20 century, the material for cable had not been found. So people thought space elevator as the thing in science fiction. But in 1991, Sumio Iizima discovered carbon nano tube. By discovering carbon nano tube, we can build space elevator theoretically. In Japan, Oobayashi team is planing to build space elevator. The team announced that they realize space elevator by 2050. But the problem of space elevator is not only technical problem. If space elevator is built, the cost of construction of trial calculation is 1 or 2 hundred million yen. Which country does pay the cost? And countries which is on the equator do not have technological strength and financial power. There are many problems to realize space elevator.
 There are not only positive point but also negative point in carbon nano tube. In 2008, a nature of possibility is discovered. The nature is that carbon nano tube is carcinogenic material. And it is announced that products which is used carbon nano tube technology have possibility of health hazard like asbestos.
 Carbon nano tube has many ways to purify, Arc discharge, Laser ablation, Plasma torch, Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), Super-growth CVD. But mass production way do not establish.

If carbon nano tube is mass produced and space elevator is built, how do you think our life is change? Carbon nano tube will afford us mass profit. I want Oobayashi team to build space elevator early. And I want to go space travel. I wish that study of carbon nano tube progress.
Thank you for 10 week reading.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Week 9
 This I talk to about magazine, Nature and Science. Do you know the two magazines? The two post not only chemistry but also paper about other field of science. The two magazines are very famous in science course people. Science and Nature are the most authoritative science magazine in magazines about science. For example, most of world university ranking evaluate how many papers professors who belong to the university were posted.

Science
 This is first published in 1880. Now published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Science is issued 130 thousands a year. Science runs mainly original academic articles, publish of result of study, news and opinion about science. If your article is issued, it is honor thing. Because the standard of run is very severe. 10 percent of all paper is issued on the magazine. And before the select, the papers must be red some other professors for check the papers. By now science carried paper of AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and paper related Apollo program and  so on.
 But sometimes the magazine was criticized. The magazine carried the paper which Hwang Useok succeed to make embryonic stem cells from embryo of human cloning. But after issued, Seoul national university withdrawn the paper for cheating about science. So people criticized that why the magazine did not notice it. The captain of editor at the time said " costly and offensive oversight on the vast majority of scientist in order to catch the occasional cheater".
 Now we can read science on the Internet. If you are member of AAAS, you can read all on the Internet.







Nature
 This magazine first published by Sir Josph Norman Lockyer in 1869. Now published by Nature Publishing Group (NPG). Nature runs mainly original academic articles, publish of result of study, news and opinion about science too. The name "Nature" was named from one sentence of William Wordswroth's works "To the solid ground of nature trusts the mind that builds for aye". Nature was born and made as much more polemic magazine than other magazines those days. In other words, nature was born to cause debates, challenge debate and dissent from established theory. Nature, like science, has carried many great paper, discovery of X ray, discovery of Ozone hole, making clone sheep and analysis of structure of DNA.
 Now you can this magazine on the Internet. But if you have license, you can only read articles from 1997 to 2008. If you want to read older articles, you have to get Nature archive's license. But in Japan, individual cannot buy the license. In other words, we can only read articles from 1997 to 2008.

 Science and Nature have many related magazine. If you are interested in the two magazine, I want you to read not only science and nature but also other related magazines.
 Next week I talk about latest study. Next week is last week. I want you to read. I think if you do not read past weeks, you will be able to be interested in the topic.




    



Thank you           for reading.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Week 8
 This week I talk to about International Chemistry Olympiad. Do you know International Chemistry Olympiad? This is a Olympic of chemistry.

What is International Chemistry Olympiad?
 International Chemistry Olympiad is world competition of chemistry. It is held per year in July. This competition developed from an achievement test which was started in Hungary, Czech, Slovakia and Poland. Now over 200 high school students join the competition from 60 countries. The test is composed experimental examination and theroretical examination. And people compete not as team but as an individual. persons who did an excellent performance is given a medal. Gold medal is given 10 percent of participant, Silver medal is given 20 percent and Copper medal is given 30 percent. In the period of competition, there is a program which is called Excursion. People who join the competition can make the friendship between them in the program.

The way to join (Japan)
 The delegations who join International Chemistry Olympiad are chosen by some selection committee. In Japan, it is need to join inter high school chemistry grand prix and to be a superior performance in 10th or 11th grade to be chosen representative candidate. Next training camp for representative candidate is held in the next spring. Last selection committee is held in the training camp and delegations of International Chemistry Olympiad are chosen. Persons who is chosen delegation join training camp.

Test
 Before spring training camp, representative candidates are given reference book, collection of past questions, expecting questions which is passed out from host country. The syllabus is divided 13 fields.

This is a question which is in last year's test.



A boron-based compound is composed of boron, carbon, chlorine, and oxygen
(B4CCl6O). Spectral measurements indicate the molecule has two types of B atoms, with
tetrahedral and trigonal planar geometry, in a 1:3 ratio, respectively. These spectra are
also  consistent with a CO triple bond. Given that the molecular formula of the
compound is B4CCl6O, suggest a structure for the molecule.

ホウ素、炭素、塩素、酸素からなるホウ素化合物 (B4CCl6O) がある。そのス
ペクトルから、この分子には正四面体と平面三角形の2種類の結合様式を持つ
ホウ素原子が含まれており、その比は1:3であることが示された。同時に、
スペクトルからCO三重結合が含まれていることも分かった。B4CCl6Oで示され
るホウ素化合物の可能な立体構造を描け。


The answer is bottom of this page.


Record
 Recently Japan gets some medals. Last year, Japanese students won 3 gold medals and 5 silver medals. Japanese delegations continuously get gold medals 4 years. And Getting medals continue 10 years. Japan gets medal except first year of participation.








This is a answer of the question.
                                                     
                                                        O

                                                        |||
                                                        C
                                                         |
                                                Cl2B-B-BCl2
                                                         |
                                                        Cl2B

Next week I talk to about Magazine.
Thank you for reading.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Week 7
  This week, I will write about field of chemistry. Do you know how many field chemistry have? Chemistry has many field. And it is increasing. Modern chemistry was divided from alchemy in the middle age (from week 1). Modern chemistry do not have long history. So the study have rapidly developed. I will introduce various field.

Organic chemistry
 This chemistry research composition and nature of organic compounds which include carbon atom in the structure except CO2 and CO. Organic compounds have both of combination which is C-C combination and C-H combination or either the two combination. Why was this field created? Because carbon have limitless possibility. Now the number of carbon compound is much more than the number of material which do not include carbon. And the materials which compose our body (for example, protein, nucleic acid, sugar, lipid (fat)) have carbon atom.

Inorganic chemistry
 This chemistry research element, simple substance (単体), inorganic compound. In other words, study of material of not carbon compounds. This chemistry have the longest history in field of chemistry. Modern chemistry is based on alchemy (week 1). Since alchemy mainly researched inorganic compound, first of modern chemistry was inorganic chemistry until J. J. Berzelius used ''organic chemistry'' and ''organic compound'' in 18 century.

Technological chemistry
 This chemistry predict a new substance of nature and explain the known fact of experiment by using numerical formulas and technological model. For example, to research boiling point or melting and a chemical reaction point by using physics. (the same thing is written week 5)

Photo chemistry
 This chemistry research substance whose state is irradiated light. In this chemistry, organic and inorganic compounds are used. The light which is used is decided by the wavelength. X-ray and γ-ray, in short wavelength is very short, are studied in radio chemistry.

Nuclear chemistry
 This chemistry research artificial radioactive material. This is field of inorganic chemistry. Artificial radioactive materials are formed in nuclear reaction. Begin of this field, nuclear chemist researched substance like Plutonium (Pu) which are able to be produced huge quantity. But new artificial radioactive materials are formed a few. So recently nuclear chemistry is same as nuclear physics.

Environmental chemistry
 This chemistry research phenomena which cause in natural world. Aquatic chemistry and soil chemistry are one of this field. But Green Sustainable chemistry is not in this field. The objective of this is to understand circulation of material in natural world and to offer a way of environmental research.

Cosmo chemistry
 This chemistry research structure of star. This chemistry research two ways. One way is to use the spectrum. The other way use meteorite or sample which is picked up by a space probe.

Natural product chemistry
 This chemistry research materials which is produced by creature. In general, this chemistry do not research coal and oil. This chemistry was same as organic chemistry until chemist discovered that organic compounds are able to be produced artificially. And the objective changed to supply the huge price material like dye, perfume and medicine.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Week 6
  This topic I talk to about effect of chemistry. Chemistry is one of the field of science. So chemistry has influenced our day of life. Now chemical material is rapidly increasing. Human being has created 5 million substance. This fact indicate rapid development of chemistry. Now chemical substance is being synthesized or separated per 2.6 seconds in the world. There are positive side and negative side in the effect of chemistry.
  Positive side is battery, chemical fertilizer and chemical seasoning. Battery is essential in our day of life. Battery is used in various category. For example, cell phone, car, iPad, electric dictionary and so on. And battery have possibility which improve our life. The possibility is fuel battery. Fuel battery do not harm environment. It only throws away water. Chemical fertilizer dramatically increased the harvest of agriculture. So chemical fertilizer saved many poor people. Chemical fertilizer include phosphorus (in chemical formula P), nitrogen (in chemical formula N) and potassium (in chemical formula K). The three material is thought as three element which is needed to grow agricultural products. Chemical fertilizer is sometimes said that it harms human's body. But it is not true. If you use chemical fertilizer appropriately, chemical fertilizer do not harm our body. Chemical seasoning also cause changes our food culture. Some substances are used as chemical seasoning. For example, glutamic acid, inosinic acid and guanylic acid and so on. These substance arouse our organ of flavor. Chemical seasoning improved quality of food which is cooked and sold in shop and foods cooked in home.


  Negative side is environmental pollution. In Japan, there are 4 big environmental pollution. First,  Minamata disease. This affair was caused by chemical company chisso in Kumamoto. This disease caused damaged people speech disorder, disequilibrium and hearing disorder and so on. And in the worst case the patient was dead. The cause of these symptom is methylmercury. The first patient found in 1953. But the disease was known to people and officially discovered in 1956. I think that this is too late to discover.  Second, second Minamata disease. This affair was caused by Showadenko in Niigata in 1965. The same symptom was admitted. It is said that this affair was caused by default of government. If government had acted properly to first minamata disease, second minamata disease would not have happened when first minamata disease was caused. Third, Itai-itai disease. This was caused in Toyama from 1910 to 1970. This is first Japanese environmental pollution. The cause of disease is cadmium. The symptom of this disease is weak and brittle bones. Fourth, Yokkaiti asthma. This was happened from 1960 to 1972 in Mie. The cause of material was sulfurous acid gas which was discharged from industrial complex. The gas which included cause of material was called "white smog. The symptom was asthma. And the worst case, the patient was dead. This disease had a possibility that cause heart attack and lung cancer. 
 I think if we did not use chemical substance appropriately, chemical substance would harm us greatly.   
Week 5
  This week I talk to about Chemist. How do you think about chemist? In Japanese general image, chemist wear "hakui"(a white gown) and do experiment which makes a new material. But in fact, there are many kind of chemist. So I will introduce 4 main type of chemists .

Technological chemist
 They research boiling point or melting and a chemical reaction point by using physics. They predict a new substance of nature and explain the known fact of experiment by using numerical formulas and technological model. They mainly use computer and do not wear a white gown. Keniti Fukui is the famous technological chemist. He won the Nobel Prize of chemistry. He showed that chemical reaction can be estimated by computing. Technological chemists mainly belong to university as a professor.

Analytical chemist
 They detect chemical substance and research a way that separate purpose substance from sample. For example, they research foods to know whether or not poisonous substance is in it. They are needed knowledge of electromagnetism. The famous person in them is Kouiti Tanaka. He is winner of the Nobel Prize. He discovered the way that analize the structure of protein. There are analytical chemists in company which manage foods or water supply.

Synthetic chemist
トランスポリアセチレン
(電気を通すプラスチック)
 Synthetic chemist is general image of chemist. They make a new chemical substance. One of the most famous synthetic chemist is Hideki Shirakawa. He also won the Nobel Prize with Alan Jay Heeger and Alan Graham Mac Diarmid. They made a new plastic which has electrical conductivity. Another famous chemist is Ryozi Noyori. He succeeded in making a new type of chemical compound. This type of chemist mainly belong to university or company.

クラゲの発光の素となるタンパク質
Biochemist
 Their research have a relation to creature, enzyme and foods. They research structural substance of creature and work of the substance in our body.They are needed knowledge of biology. Two Japanese person are especially famous for achievement of biochemistry. One of them is Osamu Shimomura. He clarified the mechanism of emission of light of jellyfish and made a base of technology which is essential to research state of chemical reaction. The other is Umetaro Suzuki. He discovered vitamin-B1. They won the Nobel Prize. Biochemists work in food maker, company of medicine and so on.

 As you can see, chemist is needed not only knowledge of chemistry but also another field of science.

 Next I introduce license of chemistry. Do you know about license of chemistry? There are licenses of the chemistry. But these license do not need to be chemist. However if you work in chemical company, these license are needed. The licenses are Hazardous Material Engineer, Administer of prevention of environmental pollution. If you have the license of Hazardous material engineer, you can deal with the dangerous materials which is designated by law. The person who has Administer of prevention of environmental pollution can administer the work about environmental pollution. And specific plants are obligated to select the person who has Administer of prevention of environmental pollution.

 Thank you for reading.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Week 4
 This week I talk about college. Now there are many colleges in the world. For example, Japan has 778 colleges, America has 2629, Korea has 407, Germany has 370, The United Kingdom has 167, France has 94 and so on. As you can see, Japan has the second most colleges in the world. By the way, how is the quality of Japanese university? According to World University Ranking (Times Higher Education), Number 1 is California Institute of Technology, 2 is University of Oxford, 3 is Stanford University. Top 10 is American or European university only. About Japanese university, Tokyo university is 27th, the university of Kyoto is 54th, and Tokyo technical university is 128th.  Compared to last year, on the whole, Japanese universities lowered their rank. By contrast, Chinese and Korean university raised their rank. So Times Higher Education says that the distribution of power of higher education is shifting from America and Europe to Asia. But in chemistry, Japanese university is not so bad. Kyoto university ranked number 9 and the university of Tokyo do 11 (Academic Ranking of World Universities). Not American or European university is Kyoto university only in the top 10. Japanese colleges are higher in the field of physics and chemistry. However in the other field, there are no name of Japanese university in higher rank. Especially, in economy and literature Japanese universities are out of ranking.


  But these ranking do not show all of worth of the university. There are some standards that judges decide which college is superior or inferior to the other universities. The standards are not same but depend on the persons who edited the ranking. For example, the ranking of Times Higher Education said that they mainly evaluated 13 performance indicators which are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment), Research (volume, income and reputation), Citations (research influence), Industry income (innovation), International outlook (staff, student and research). Shanghai Jiao Tong University which edited Academic Ranking of World Universities said that they evaluate universities by 6 standard of evaluation: the number of people who won the Nobel prizes and Fields prizes after graduate the school, the number of staff who won the Nobel prizes and Fields prizes, the number of scholar who is highly cited their thesis in 21 broad subject categories, the number of thesis which is published in Nature and Science, the number of thesis which is indexed in Science Citation Index expanded and Social Science Citation Index, per capita academic performance of an institution. In short, Academic Ranking of World Universities do not evaluate the side of education and evaluate achievements of professor or graduate people. Academic Ranking of World Universities attach greater importance to quality of as research institution than to education.
  Each ranking have each standard. So we cannot determine the worth of university. I think if you want to be scholar, you should evaluate what does the university study. But you can use as one of standard to evaluate each university. If you have a interest, I want you to see the ranking of university.