Week 2

Alfred Nobel's will

  The Nobel Prize is the most famous prize in studies in the world. This week I will introduce about The Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize was made by Alfred Nobel in 1895. He is known as king of     dynamite. Alfred Nobel was a chemist, engineer and inventor. He invented many things of which dynamite is most famous. He willed his fortune be used to create a series of prizes for those who confer the "greatest benefit on mankind" in physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine, and literature. And in 1901, for the first time, an award ceremony was held. The qualification that a person can win a prize is living or died after the announcement of a prize winner. Winners are selected by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Norwegian Nobel Committee or Swedish Academy. Ones who win the prize are selected secretly and process of the selection is disclosed 50 years later. Last selection is done in the day when winners are announced. So to expect winners is very difficult.

Ceremony

  Next I talk about award ceremony. The award ceremony is held in December 10. It is the day that Alfred Nobel had been deed. The ceremony is held in concert hole of Stockholm but Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel peace prize is held in Oslo City Hall. Winners are given medal, money and a certificate of merit (in Japanese "shojou"). Each medal features an image of Alfred Nobel in left profile on the face of medal. The for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and literature have identical obverse that is showing the image of Alfred Nobel and the years of his birth and death. The back of it is different respectively. Physics and chemistry are designed that the goddess of science takes off a veil of the goddess of nature and looks into her face. First, the medal was made of gold only. The amount of money depend on how much money the Nobel foundation can earn each year. The sum of money is decided and divided by the number of winner. After the ceremony a dinner party is held, which the Swedish Royal Family join. Winners customarily give commemorative lecture which called Nobel lecture. The lectures normally occur during Nobel Week which begins with the winners arriving in Stockholm and normally ends with the party.
  In past many Japanese won the Nobel prize. The first Japanese winner was Hideki Yukawa. He expected existence of meson (in Japanese it is called "chukansi"). But before he was nominated (example, Shibasaburo Kitazato, Hideyo Noguti), there were some persons whose name was included on the list of candidate. However they could not win for some reasons. Most of it was that they were orientals. But now Japan have the top of the number of winners in non-American-European country. Basically the history of the Nobel prize is brilliant, but in nominated studies, there were mistaken studies which turned out after the ceremony.
                     The history of The Nobel Prize is the history of modern science.

Week 1
This week I introduce history of chemistry.
   It is origin of chemistry that human beings discovered FIRE. For human fire is mystical force that could transform one thing into another thing when it producing heat and light. Fire was used everyday of life, such as cooking and habitat lighting, to more advanced technologies, such as pottery, bricks, and melting of metals to make tools. Ancient philosophers attempt to rationalize why different substances have different properties (color, density, smell), exist in different states (gaseous, liquid, and solid), and react in a different manner when exposed to environments. They postulated the first theories on nature and chemistry. These theories defined primary elements that make up all substance in nature. It was thought to be primary elements that air, water and soil in ancient Greek.
   It was fire that led to purification of metals, which gave way to the rise of metallurgy. During the early stages of metallurgy, methods of purification of metals were sought. The history of metallurgy was marked by which army had better weaponry.

"The alchemist"

   In the ancient Egypt alchemy was created. The purpose of alchemy is what create philosopher's stone which is legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold or silver and elixir which grants drinker eternal life or eternal youth. But there were several problems with alchemy. Alchemy did not have systematic naming system for new substance. And words of alchemy were difficult and unclear. There were dubious side in alchemy. For example alchemist had made gold from cheap substance. In early 14th century alchemy faced crisis. In other words, People had some doubts about alchemy. People ordered that a scientific method that other people can repeat and result in a clear language that people can understand what is known and unknown. But alchemy did not have scientific reproducible experiments. In 1317, the Avignon Pope John 12th ordered all alchemist to leave France for making counterfeit money. A law that person who multiply metals is punished by death was passed in England in 1403. But alchemy had not come to an end for royalty and privileged class sought to find the philosopher's stone and the elixir to use themselves.

Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan

   In the middle ages, scientific method started to develop. Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan who is called "father of chemistry" by many chemist analyzed many chemical chemically and produced many medicine. Robert Boyle constructed the base of modern chemistry. He divided chemistry from alchemy by experimenting scientifically. Before 20th century, chemistry had been defined science about transform and nature of substance. It was divided from physics clearly. But the latter half of 19th century, the thought had started to change. After discovery of radioactive substance, view of nature of substance dramatically changed. The experience acquired by chemist lost relation of study of whole nature of substance. So range of chemistry was limited to the nature of substance around us in condition which are not too far from natural conditions that is temperature and pressure. Thus chemistry was re-defined as science of matter that deal with transform, characteristic and construction. This definer is used now.