The science of macaroni salad: What's in a molecule? - Josh Kurz

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Geoff Chen

We already know that the world is made of things,

我們已經知道這世界由物品組成

things like cats

物品如貓

and macaroni salad,

及通心粉沙拉

and macaroni salad is made of things

而通心粉沙拉也是由物品組成

like mayo

如美乃滋

and mustard

芥末醬

and celery,

which are all made of molecules.

及西洋芹等

這些都是由分子組成

As we'll see, these molecules

正如我們所見，這些分子

are made of the same stuff,

是由相同的東西組成

just mixed together in different ways.

只是以不同的方法混在一起

Let's go back to our macaroni salad.

讓我們回到我們的通心粉沙拉

We've already unmixed things physically

我們已經物理性還原各種物品

as much as we can.

盡了我們最大的力

Now, we'll go further and unmix things chemically

現在，我們要進一步化學性還原物品

by breaking some bonds.

要用打斷鍵結的方法

Many larger, complex molecules

許多更大、複雜的分子

are just a bunch of smaller molecules bonded together

只是由一堆小一點的分子鍵結在一起

like building blocks.

就像積木

Here, again, macaroni salad provides a nice example.

這裡，通心粉沙拉再次提供很好的例子

If you look at the pasta,

如果你看通心粉

you'll notice it's made of a lot of this stuff,

你會注意到這是由很多「東西」組成

starch,

澱粉

which is this molecule,

就是這個分子

otherwise known as amylose.

通常被稱為直鏈澱粉

Turns out, if you break some bonds,

結果是如果你打斷一些鍵結

amylose is made up of smaller molecules

直鏈澱粉是由更小的分子

of glucose, a simple sugar.

葡萄糖分子組成，這是一種單醣

If you take a bunch of these same glucose molecules

如果你拿一堆一樣的葡萄醣分子

and rearrange them in a different way,

以不同方法重新排列

you get cellulose,

你就會得到纖維素

which is what plants are made of.

這就是植物的組成物

So, while this piece of pasta made of amylose

所以，雖然這個由直鏈澱粉 所組成的通心粉

and this wooden spoon made of cellulose

與這根由纖維素組成的木製湯匙

look vastly different,

看起來大不同

they're both essentially made of the same molecules,

它們兩者基本上都由相同的分子所組成

just stuck together differently.

只是用不同的方式黏在一起

This type of breaking apart and recombining

這種形態的破壞及重組

is what goes on when you digest food.

是你在消化食物的時候發生的事

The complex proteins found in the foods we eat,

複雜的蛋白質，存在於我們所吃的食物

like carrots and eggs,

如胡蘿蔔及雞蛋中

can't be used by our bodies

不能被我們的身體利用

because we are not carrots or chickens.

因為我們不是胡蘿蔔或雞

What we can use are the smaller molecules

我們可以用的，是更小的分子

that make up these proteins,

是組成這些蛋白質的成分

the amino acids.

胺基酸

During digestion, our bodies break these proteins up

在消化過程中 我們的身體分解這些蛋白質

into their amino acids

成胺基酸

so they can be rearranged and put back together

所以它們可以被重新排列及組合

to make human proteins.

以製造人類的蛋白質

But let's keep breaking bonds.

但讓我們繼續打斷鍵結

All molecules are made up of atoms bonded together.

所有的分子都由原子鍵結在一起

If some molecules are building blocks,

如果把一些分子當做積木

atoms are the building blocks

原子就是積木中的

of the building blocks.

積木

And you'll notice that with the molecules

你會注意到在

from macaroni salad,

通心粉沙拉裡的分子裡

the same six types of atoms keep showing up:

有六種相同的原子不斷出現

carbon,

碳

hydrogen,

氫

oxygen,

nitrogen,

氧

氮

phosphorus,

磷

and sulfur,

及硫

or CHONPS.

或元素符號 CHONPS

There's a few others,

還有一些其他的元素

but the big six is what macaroni salad is made of.

但這六大是通心粉沙拉的組成

If we went a step further,

假如我們再向前進一步

we could use these same atoms,

我們還可以拿這些相同的原子

recombine them,

重組

and make other stuff

變成其他的東西

like gasoline

如汽油

or sulfuric acid,

硫酸

methane,

甲烷

and nylon.

及尼龍

It's all made from the same elements

這些都是由通心粉沙拉的

that make up macaroni salad.

相同組成元素所組成

So, to recap,

所以總括來說

everything is made of atoms.

每樣物品都是從原子組成

They are the stuff that things are made of.

原子是組成物品的「東西」

Atoms are grouped together in different ways

原子以不同的方式組合

to form molecules.

以形成分子

These molecules are constantly being combined,

這些分子不斷地結合

broken apart,

分裂

and recombined.

及重組

They get thrown into mixtures,

它們被丟進混合物裡

separated,

分離

remixed

重混

over and over and over again.

一次又一次的重複

The stuff that things are made of

這些組合成物品的「東西」

is always in flux;

總是變來變去

it's always changing.

總是在變化

Macaroni salad is only macaroni salad for a short time.

通心粉沙拉只能維持 通心粉沙拉很短的時間

You eat it,

你吃下它

some of it becomes part of you,

其中的某些部分就變成你的一部分

the rest eventually goes into the ocean

其餘的終究要流入海洋

and gets eaten by other animals that die,

被其他會死亡的動物吃掉

and after millions of years, they turn into oil,

然後在幾百萬年後變成石油

which is where gasoline comes from.

這即為汽油的來源

And that's why gasoline and macaroni salad

這就是為什麼汽油和通心粉沙拉

are not that different -

並沒有那麼不同

they're both made of the same stuff,

它們兩者都是由相同的「東西」組成

just one tastes better.

只是一種味道更好