ノーベル化学賞―「鈴木反応」が花開いた

2010/10/08
--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 7
EDITORIAL: Nobel Prize winners
ノーベル化学賞―「鈴木反応」が花開いた

Akira Suzuki, professor emeritus at Hokkaido University, and Eiichi Negishi, distinguished professor at Purdue University in the United States, have won this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with a U.S. chemist.
　鈴木章・北大名誉教授と根岸英一・米パデュー大特別教授が、今年のノーベル化学賞に決まった。

The two Japanese scientists have been awarded the prize for their achievements in synthetic organic chemistry, a field of research focused on producing a wide variety of compounds, from medicines to electronics, by using specifically designed chemical reactions.
　授賞対象になった有機合成化学は、物質をうまく反応させて、医薬品からエレクトロニクス材料まで、さまざまな物質を作り出す分野だ。

Synthetic organic chemistry may not be familiar to the general public, but for researchers it is a field full of intriguing theories and of great practical importance.
　一般にはなじみが薄いが、研究者にとっては理論的な面白さと同時に、実用的にもきわめて重要な意味を持っている。

Negishi and Suzuki developed techniques called palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling, which can freely bind carbon atoms together, leading to new ways to create various chains of carbon atoms that constitute the backbone of organic compounds.
　根岸さんと鈴木さんが開発した、パラジウムという金属を触媒とする「クロスカップリング」という方法は、有機物質の骨格を作る炭素と炭素を自由に結びつけることができる。

Their methods are called the Suzuki reaction and the Negishi reaction, respectively, and have spawned a vast range of related research.
　２人の方法は「鈴木反応」「根岸反応」と呼ばれて、研究領域として大きく広がっている。とりわけ鈴木反応は広く使われている。

Organic synthesis using palladium as a catalyst is a field of research in which Japanese scientists have made many great contributions. It is sometimes referred to as "chemistry of Japanese."
　パラジウムを使った有機合成は、日本人の化学といわれるほどに、日本人の貢献が大きい分野だ。

There are many other palladium-based reactions named after Japanese researchers. The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction developed by Richard Heck, who shared the Nobel Prize with the two Japanese, is called the Mizoroki-Heck reaction, after the American researcher and a Japanese chemist, the late Tsutomu Mizoroki.
　ほかにも日本人の名前がついた反応がたくさんある。２人と共同受賞したリチャード・ヘック氏が見つけた反応も、亡くなった溝呂木勉氏と連名で、溝呂木・ヘック反応と呼ばれる。

A chemically interesting and useful reaction can be discovered at a relatively small cost if the effort is based on a good idea.
　化学的に面白くて有用な反応を見つける仕事は、アイデアさえあれば、少ない費用でできる。

Some experts say this was a field suitable for creative Japanese researchers who worked during the era of insufficient funding.
まだ研究費が十分でなかった日本に向いた研究領域だったともいわれる。

The Nobel Prize for Suzuki and Negishi is a glittering monument to all the great achievements by Japanese researchers in the field.
　そんな領域が大きく花開いたことを示すのが今回の受賞だ。

They won the prize as representatives, so to speak, of the many Japanese chemists who have reactions named after them. Their feats have proved the effectiveness of Japanese approaches to research in chemistry.
反応に名を連ねた多くの研究者たちを代表しての受賞といっていいだろう。日本流の化学の力を示したともいえる。

The two have brought to 15 the number of Japanese winners of the Nobel Prize in science, including Hideki Yukawa, the first Japanese laureate, and those in such fields as physics, physiology and medicine.
　物理学や医学生理学をふくめた日本人の科学分野でのノーベル賞は湯川秀樹さん以来、合計で１５人になった。

Only five Japanese won the Nobel Prize in science up to 1999. But Japan's Nobel performance gained huge momentum--three straight years of winning from 2000--which added four to the list of Japanese laureates.
１９００年代は５人だったが、２０００年から３年連続で４人が受賞してはずみがついた。

Now, a Nobel Prize for a Japanese scientist is no longer a rarity. This undoubtedly testifies to the high level of Japanese scientific research.
ノーベル賞は日本にとって、決して珍しいものではなくなってきた。日本の研究水準の高さを示すといっていいだろう。

There is, however, no room for optimism about the situation of scientific research in Japan.
　もっとも、日本の科学の現状は決して楽観できない。

The trend toward demanding short-term results has grown markedly in recent years, and there are troubling signs that the environment for long-term and basic research has deteriorated.
このところ、短期的な成果を求める風潮が強まり、じっくり腰を落ち着けて取り組む研究がしにくくなっているのが気がかりだ。

Despite the widely shared recognition of the importance of human resources for scientific research, the job outlook is gloomy for students with doctorates.
　人材が重要といわれながら、博士号を取っても就職は厳しい。

Scientific research is no longer an area that offers many opportunities for young people to pursue their dreams.
研究現場は若者たちが夢を持って飛び込んでいける場ではなくなりつつある。

It has also been pointed out that the low priority given to scientific research in the government's sweeping budget review has demoralized young researchers.
　事業仕分けでの研究への厳しい評価が、若い研究者の意欲をそいだことも指摘されている。

Fresh efforts should be made to promote scientific research in this nation. Japan's future depends to a great extent on science and technology.
　改めて、日本の研究を伸ばすことを考えなければならない。科学技術にこそ、日本の未来がかかっている。

We want Japan to continue to be a country that produces original scientific achievements. We hope many young Japanese will be inspired and encouraged to pursue scientific research by what older generations of Japanese researchers have achieved.
It is crucial to improve the research environment for young scientists.
　これからも、独創的な研究成果を生み出す国でありたい。若い人たちにはぜひ、先輩たちに続いてほしいし、そのための環境作りが大切だ。