評論
打印
The chemistry prize was shared by Benjamin List, of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, in Mülheim an der Ruhr, and David MacMillan, of Princeton University.
諾貝爾化學獎由位于魯爾河畔米爾海姆州馬克斯·普朗克煤炭研究所的本杰明·利斯特和普林斯頓大學的大衛·麥克米倫共享。
Their prizewinning work, published in 2000, was conducted independently, and unknown to each other at the time, but with the same end in mind. This was to break the stranglehold of enzymes and transition metals on the field of catalysis.
他們的獲獎作品發表于2000年，是獨立進行的，當時彼此都不知情，但目的是一致的——為了打破酶和過渡金屬在催化領域的束縛。
Some chemical reactions proceed with alacrity. Most, though—including many that are industrially important—need a helping hand in the form of a catalyst.
有些化學反應進行得很快。然而，大多數企業，包括許多在工業領域具有重要地位的企業需要催化劑的幫助。
Evolution has provided a goodly range of these in the form of enzymes, which are large, complicated and sometimes temperamental protein molecules, but which have the advantage that they can create pure versions of what are known as optical isomers.
進化以酶的形式提供了大量的這類物質，這些酶是大型的、復雜的、有時還會變化無常的蛋白質分子，但它們的優點是可以產生被稱為光學異構體的純凈版本。
These are molecules that have two forms which are mirror images of each other. This is important in the drug industry, for the different versions, known as enantiomers, can have different effects in the body.
這些分子有兩種形式且互為鏡像。這在制藥行業很重要，因為不同對映體，對人體會產生不同的作用。
Also, if you choose the right enzymes, it is often possible to carry out multi-step reactions in only a few stages.
此外，如果你選擇了正確的酶，通常只需幾個階段就可以進行多步反應。
Transition metals are those in the middle of the periodic table—copper, nickel and iron, for example.
過渡金屬是那些位于元素周期表中間的金屬，例如銅、鎳和鐵。
The structures of the electron shells surrounding the nuclei of their atoms are complicated, meaning they are chemically versatile. This is what makes them good catalysts.
它們原子核周圍的電子殼層的結構很復雜，這意味著它們具有多種化學用途。這就是它們成為良好催化劑的原因。
Some transition-metal catalysts are the metals themselves. More often, they are small molecules that include a transition-metal atom.
一些過渡金屬催化劑本身就是金屬。更常見的是，它們是包含過渡金屬原子的小分子。
Transition-metal catalysts can be easier to handle than enzymes, but usually fail to distinguish between enantiomers.
過渡金屬催化劑可能比酶更容易操作，但通常無法區分對映體。
Also, transition-metal compounds are frequently toxic, with all the environmental consequences that entails. And multi-step reactions involving them can be long-winded.
此外，過渡金屬化合物通常是有毒的，因此會對環境帶來不良影響，而且涉及到它們的多步驟反應可能是冗長的。
Dr List and Dr MacMillan found a way to have the best of both worlds: small-molecule catalysts that have no metal atoms in them, can turn out pure enantiomers, and often simplify multi-step reactions. That has significant industrial implications.
利斯特博士和麥克米倫博士找到了一種兩全其美的方法：不含金屬原子的小分子催化劑，可以生成純凈的對映體，而且通常會簡化多步反應。這具有重大的工業意義。
Dr List worked on an enzyme called aldolase A. This catalyses what is known as the aldol reaction, an important way of forging molecular bonds between carbon atoms.
利斯特博士研究了一種名為醛縮酶A的酶，這種酶催化所謂的醛縮反應，這是一種在碳原子之間形成分子鍵的重要方式。
Aldolase A is made of 350 amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, but the bit that does the work consists of only three of these: lysine, glutamic acid and tyrosine. The rest of the enzyme is packaging.
醛縮酶A由350種氨基酸組成，這些氨基酸是蛋白質的組成成分，但起作用的部分只有三個：賴氨酸、谷氨酸和酪氨酸。剩下的酶是包裝的。
He therefore wondered if he could isolate the enzyme’s active centre and yet preserve its activity. In fact, he did better.
因此，他想知道他是否能分離出這種酶的活性中心，同時又能保持它的活性。事實上，他做得比想象中更好。
He showed that the aldol reaction can be catalysed by a single amino acid, proline. And, crucially, this retains the enantiomeric purity of the enzyme-mediated reaction.
他證明了羥醛縮化反應可以被一種氨基酸--脯氨酸催化。最重要的是，這保留了酶介導反應的對映體純度。
Dr MacMillan came from the other end of the problem. He wanted to remove the metal (in this case copper) from the catalyst involved in a different process, the Diels–Alder reaction.
麥克米倫博士來自問題的另一端。他想從另一個過程——狄爾斯-阿爾德反應（Diels-Alder reaction）中的催化劑中去除金屬（在這種情況下是銅）。
This is a way of joining two molecules into a six-carbon ring. One of the reagents contributes four carbon atoms to the ring and the other contributes two.
這是一種將兩個分子連接成六碳環的方法。其中一種試劑為環貢獻了四個碳原子，另一種試劑則貢獻了兩個碳原子。
Six-carbon rings are ubiquitous in organic chemistry, and by putting different side groups onto the reagents a vast variety of them can be turned out.
六碳環在有機化學中普遍存在，通過在試劑上加入不同的側基，可以產生多種六碳環。
Dr MacMillan found he could catalyse Diels-Alder reactions using a type of metal-free molecule called an imidazolidinone to activate the two-carbon component, meaning that it combines enthusiastically with its four-carbon compadre.
麥克米倫博士發現，他可以使用一種名為咪唑烷酮的無金屬分子來催化狄爾斯-阿爾德反應，以激活雙碳成分，這意味著它可以與其四碳化合物結合。
The result of these two pieces of work is a field called asymmetric organocatalysis (the asymmetric part of the name referring to its ability to generate pure enantiomers), that is now rippling through industrial chemistry.
這兩項工作的結果是一個被稱為不對稱有機催化的領域（這個名稱的不對稱部分指的是它產生純對映體的能力）現在正席卷工業化學界。
And, since industrial chemistry, in one form or another, underpins most economic activity, it is also rippling, however invisibly, through life.
而且，由于工業化學以這樣或那樣的形式支撐著大多數經濟活動，所以也以看不見的方式影響著人們的生活。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
