The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry revealed that the original Chemistry Prize is a "cross-border star"?

　　China News Service, October 5th (Guan Na) On the afternoon of October 5th, Beijing time, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the prize to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for the In recognition of their contributions to "click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry".

　　According to the Nobel Prize website, Sharpless and Meldal laid the foundation for a functional form of chemistry, click chemistry, in which molecular building blocks are quickly and efficiently combined.

Bertosi took click chemistry to a new dimension and began to apply it to living organisms.

Image source: Screenshot of the official website of the Nobel Prize

"Crossover Stars" in the Nobel Prize

　　The creation of new substances, the development of new technologies, and the research of new theories... The history of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry can be described as a history of the development of modern chemistry, and its importance is self-evident.

　　The Nobel Prize website said: "For Alfred Nobel's own work, chemistry is the most important science. The development of his inventions and the industrial processes he employs are based on knowledge of chemistry. Chemistry is the second award field mentioned by Nobel in his will."

　　Although Nobel himself is a chemist, the chemistry prize, which is the "heirloom" of the Nobel Prize, prefers to cross borders.

From the list of previous Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, it can be seen that many award-winning achievements do not come from traditional chemical research, but involve multiple disciplines such as biology and physics. Therefore, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is also ridiculed as "Nobel Physics Overall Award".

File:Nobel Medal.

　　In 1908, British physicist Rutherford won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his "research on the metamorphosis of elements and radiochemistry".

"It's the best joke of my life!" he quipped jokingly.

　　But those familiar with the history of the Nobel Prize know that, like Rutherford, the number of people who have gone from physics to chemistry research is endless.

Even the Nobel Prize official website said that the vigorous development of chemistry in the early 20th century was closely related to the basic development of physics.

　　The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to two women scientists who have "revolutionized the life sciences", Char Pontier and Dorner, in recognition of their contributions to the field of genome editing methods.

They are the first women to win the prize at the same time, and the sixth and seventh women in the history of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

　　The Nobel Prize committee said the two laureates had discovered one of the sharpest tools in genetic technology, "CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology."

Using this technique, researchers can alter the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with great precision.

This technology has a breakthrough impact on life science research, helping to develop new cancer treatments and potentially making cures for inherited diseases a reality.

　　However, in 2021, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which favors crossovers, "surprisingly" returned to traditional chemistry, with two scientists awarded for "progress in asymmetric organocatalysis research".

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Lister and Macmillan's work had a huge impact on drug research and made chemistry "greener".

The Nobel Prize that prefers "grouping"

　　In addition to the distinctive feature of cross-border, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry also prefers "grouping", and there are many family combinations in its winning history.

　　As the saying goes, "like a father, like a son".

Hans von Oyle-Cherpin won the 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on the fermentation of sugars and fermentation enzymes, and his son Ulf von Oyle won the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Physiology. Medicine Prize.

　　Coincidentally, American scientist Roger Kornberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006, and his father Arthur Kornberg was one of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1959.

　　The most successful "Nobel Prize family" is the Curie couple.

Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her research on radiochemistry.

In 1903, she and her husband Pierre Curie and his wife won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

　　Not only that, Madame Curie's eldest daughter Irene and her husband jointly won the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research on artificial radioactivity.

Although Marie Curie's youngest daughter did not devote herself to scientific research, in 1965 her husband, American diplomat Henry Rabois, won the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of UNICEF.

　　In addition, it is worth mentioning that although British biochemist Sanger staged a "father and son soldier", he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice in 1958 and 1980, and is the only one who has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice. the scientist.

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