Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be awarded for fluorescence microscopy – Russian Newspaper

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the creation of high-resolution fluorescence microscopy awarded to Americans Eric Betsigu and William Merner and scientist from Germany Stefan Hella. The award is about $ 1.1 million.

fluorescence microscopy – the next generation of microscopes after the optical and electronic. Image is obtained by using the luminescence of atoms and molecules excited by the laser.

– The fact that an ordinary optical microscope can not distinguish between the two molecules, if the distance between them is less than half the wavelength of visible light – told “RG” Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at the Institute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Weiner. – However, in biochemistry, biology, and particularly to objects much smaller. Say, the bacterium has a size of about 100 nanometers. If there will be two such molecules, and the distance between them is less than half the wavelength, they will merge one point.

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It would seem that the problem can solve the electron microscope, it can see structure up to one atom. But they have a serious drawback: they do not allow us to study living cells or processes within living cells. And here is just a field of activity for fluorescence microscopy created laureates. Such devices have a resolution of 20-25 nm, that is, ten times larger than optical microscopes. This allows you to see the individual structures in living cells, to study the molecular processes of reading DNA to study the structure of proteins. For example, to see how the transmission of nerve signals in the synapses. What was not clear until the fluorescence microscopy.

As in the case of medicine and physics respected experts in their forecasts given a miss, do not guess the winners in chemistry. It should be noted that these scientists have won a hard struggle with many worthy contenders. This year’s Nobel race was just a few favorites. First of all, Chin Tang (United States, Hong Kong), and Steven van Sleyk (USA), who invented the organic light emitting diodes (they are used in smartphones, tablets and HDTVs). But after the announcement yesterday Prize in Physics for the creation of blue LEDs, it became clear that this theme this year is no chance.

Among the candidates named Charles Kresge of the United States, Ryo Ryong of South Korea and American Gelena Stuckey who developed mesoporous materials. Their main advantage – is available in the structure cavities and channels with a diameter of 2-50 nm. These nanomaterials are today widely used as catalysts, adsorbents, sensors, chemistry, electronics, medicine and other areas of the economy.

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Lost Nobel race and yet another favorite. It Australians Graham Moody Edzio Riddzardo and Sanya Thanh, who created the technology that allows you to get the substance of different structure and different properties. They can be used, for example, in medicine for drug delivery in different parts of the body.

Experts predicted reward Americans Craig Venter, Eugene Myers and liroyu Hoodoo for research in the field of reading DNA, as well as Americans John Goodenough and Stanley Uittinghemu and the Japanese composer Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries used in cellular phones, tablet computers and other portable electronics.

Interesting Facts

Among the winners could be 43-year-old native of Nizhny Novgorod Valery Fokin, who now works in the United States. Together with colleagues Barry Sharpless and Michael Finn, he develops the so-called click-chemistry. We are talking about the methods that can generate a substance almost as much as it occurs naturally in nature, quickly, and without by-products.

In the past year the award for chemistry was awarded to scientists from the United States, Martin Karplus, Michael Levit and Ari Varshelu for the development of “multiscale modeling of complex chemical systems”.

awards ceremony will be held in Stockholm City Hall, December 10 – the day of the death of its founder, Alfred Nobel. From the hands of the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf laureates will receive a gold medal with the image of the founder of the prestigious awards and certificate.

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Although the beginning of the Nobel Week is held in the 113th time Prize in Chemistry is awarded only 106 th time. For various reasons, chemists were awarded prizes in 1916, 1917, 1924, 1933 and 1940-42 respectively.

Leaders in the number of premiums in Chemistry is the United States – 65 Germany – 28 and the UK – only 25 Russian Nobel laureate in this area was in 1956, Nikolai Semyonov, together with Englishman Cyril Hinshelwood mechanism for the study of chemical reactions.