Luca Turin: The science of scent

89,089 views ・ 2008-11-10

TED


请双击下面的英文字幕来播放视频。

翻译人员: Yi Zhang 校对人员: Xu Jiang
00:12
The fragrance that you will smell, you will never be able to smell this way again.
0
12160
4000
一会你们将闻到一款香水 它会带给你们绝无仅有的体验
00:16
It’s a fragrance called Beyond Paradise,
1
16160
3000
这款香水叫做“霓采天堂”
00:19
which you can find in any store in the nation.
2
19160
3000
在全国各大商场都能买到
00:22
Except here it’s been split up in parts by Estée Lauder
3
22160
4000
但是今天在这里 香水被分解成几部分
00:26
and by the perfumer who did it, Calice Becker,
4
26160
3000
这项工作是由雅诗兰黛公司和香水调配者 凯莉斯·贝克尔完成的
00:29
and I'm most grateful to them for this.
5
29160
1000
我十分感谢他们
00:30
And it’s been split up in successive bits and a chord.
6
30160
4000
香水被分解成连续的几个小部分和一个香水和弦
00:34
So what you’re smelling now is the top note.
7
34160
2000
现在你们闻到的是香水的“前味”
00:36
And then will come what they call the heart, the lush heart note.
8
36160
4000
接下来是“中味” 甜味香料
00:40
I will show it to you.
9
40160
3000
我展示给你们看
00:43
The Eden top note is named after the Eden Project in the U.K.
10
43160
3000
“前味”伊甸清雾是根据英国的伊甸园计划命名的
00:46
The lush heart note, Melaleuca bark note -- which does not contain any Melaleuca bark,
11
46160
5000
“中味”甜味香料 还有“后味”白千层树树皮 -- 其中并不含白千层树树皮
00:51
because it’s totally forbidden.
12
51160
3000
因为那是被禁止的
00:54
And after that, the complete fragrance.
13
54160
3000
最后就是完整的香味了
00:57
Now what you are smelling is a combination of --
14
57160
3000
现在你们闻到的是一个组合
01:00
I asked how many molecules there were in there, and nobody would tell me.
15
60160
4000
如果我想问组合里有多少个分子 没有人可以告诉我
01:04
So I put it through a G.C., a Gas Chromatograph that I have in my office,
16
64160
5000
于是 我用我办公室里的气相色谱仪做了一下检测
01:09
and it’s about 400.
17
69160
3000
发现大约有400个
01:12
So what you’re smelling is several hundred molecules
18
72160
3000
所以你们现在闻到的是几百个分子
01:15
floating through the air, hitting your nose.
19
75160
3000
弥漫在空气中 钻进你的鼻子里
01:18
And do not get the impression that this is very subjective.
20
78160
4000
不要觉得气味是十分主观的
01:22
You are all smelling pretty much the same thing, OK?
21
82160
4000
你们闻到的差不多都是一样的
01:26
Smell has this reputation of being somewhat different for each person.
22
86160
4000
人们总是认为同一种气味对不同的人来说是不一样的
01:30
It’s not really true.
23
90160
1000
这个想法并不正确
01:31
And perfumery shows you that can’t be true,
24
91160
2000
一款香水就会证明 的确不是这样的
01:33
because if it were like that it wouldn’t be an art, OK?
25
93160
6000
因为那样的话 制造香水就不算一门艺术了
01:39
Now, while the smell wafts over you, let me tell you the history of an idea.
26
99160
4000
现在 趁着香味还萦绕在你们周围 我来为你们介绍一个想法形成的过程
01:43
Everything that you’re smelling in here
27
103160
4000
现在你所闻到的
01:47
is made up of atoms that come from what I call
28
107160
2000
都是由这样一些原子组成的 他们来自 被我称为
01:49
the Upper East Side of the periodic table -- a nice, safe neighborhood.
29
109160
3000
元素周期表“上东区”的地方 -- 一个美好而安全的街区
01:52
(Laughter)
30
112160
4000
(笑声)
01:56
You really don’t want to leave it if you want to have a career in perfumery.
31
116160
3000
如果你想从事香水业 你一定不想离开这个地方
01:59
Some people have tried in the 1920s
32
119160
2000
十九世纪二十年代 有一些人
02:01
to add things from the bad parts, and it didn’t really work.
33
121160
4000
尝试在香水中添加来自“坏街区”的原子 没有成功
02:05
These are the five atoms from which just about everything
34
125160
2000
这五个原子 可以组成
02:07
that you’re going to smell in real life, from coffee to fragrance, are made of.
35
127160
6000
从咖啡到香水 现实生活中你所能闻到的一切
02:13
The top note that you smelled at the very beginning,
36
133160
2000
你们最开始闻到的“前味”
02:15
the cut-grass green, what we call in perfumery -- they’re weird terms --
37
135160
4000
用香水专有名词说 就是割下来青草的香味 听起来很奇怪
02:19
and this would be called a green note,
38
139160
2000
这一类被称为绿叶调
02:21
because it smells of something green, like cut grass.
39
141160
2000
闻起来像绿色的东西 比如割下来的青草
02:23
This is cis-3-hexene-1-ol. And I had to learn chemistry on the fly
40
143160
7000
它的成分是顺3己醇 我可是在匆忙之中学的化学
02:30
in the last three years. A very expensive high school chemistry education.
41
150160
6000
过去的三年里 在一所十分昂贵的中学的化学课上学的
02:36
This has six carbon atoms, so "hexa," hexene-1-ol.
42
156160
4000
它有六个碳原子 所以写作“hexa”: 己醇
02:40
It has one double bond, it has an alcohol on the end,
43
160160
4000
有两个双键 在一端有一个乙醇
02:44
so it’s "ol," and that’s why they call it cis-3-hexene-1-ol.
44
164160
3000
这就是全部 就是为什么大家称之为顺3己醇
02:47
Once you figure this out, you can really impress people at parties.
45
167160
3000
一旦你弄清楚它的结构 你就可以在派对上卖弄了
02:50
This smells of cut grass. Now, this is the skeleton of the molecule.
46
170160
4000
它闻起来就像割下来青草 这就是分子的骨架
02:54
If you dress it up with atoms, hydrogen atoms --
47
174160
3000
如果再给它配上其他原子 比如说氢原子
02:57
that’s what it looks like when you have it on your computer --
48
177160
2000
在电脑上模拟看上去是这样
02:59
but actually it’s sort of more like this, in the sense that the atoms have a certain
49
179160
4000
但实际上看上去是这样的 就某种意义来说
03:03
sphere that you cannot penetrate. They repel.
50
183160
3000
原子有某种不为人们所理解的性质 -- 他们相互排斥
03:06
OK, now. Why does this thing smell of cut grass, OK?
51
186160
6000
好了 现在 为什么这个东西闻起来像割下来的青草呢
03:12
Why doesn’t it smell of potatoes or violets? Well, there are really two theories.
52
192160
6000
为什么闻起来不像土豆 或者紫罗兰 有两种理论
03:18
But the first theory is: it must be the shape.
53
198160
4000
第一种理论认为: 一定是形状在起作用
03:22
And that’s a perfectly reasonable theory in the sense that
54
202160
2000
这是一个完美的理论
03:24
almost everything else in biology works by shape.
55
204160
2000
因为在生物领域 形状在几乎所有东西中都起着一定作用 唯独这个是例外
03:26
Enzymes that chew things up, antibodies, it’s all, you know,
56
206160
4000
酶用来消化 抗生素是用来做什么的你们都知道
03:30
the fit between a protein and whatever it is grabbing, in this case a smell.
57
210160
6000
蛋白质和它抓住的东西配成一对 在这种情况下它抓住的是气味
03:36
And I will try and explain to you what’s wrong with this notion.
58
216160
3000
我会试着解释为什么这个概念是错误的
03:39
And the other theory is that we smell molecular vibrations.
59
219160
3000
另一个理论是 我们闻到的是分子的震动
03:42
Now, this is a totally insane idea.
60
222160
2000
这是一个离谱的想法
03:44
And when I first came across it in the early '90s, I thought my predecessor,
61
224160
4000
九十年代初 我第一次接触到这个理论的时候
03:48
Malcolm Dyson and Bob Wright, had really taken leave of their senses,
62
228160
3000
觉得我的前辈 麦肯戴森和鲍勃怀特 肯定是失去理智了
03:51
and I’ll explain to you why this was the case.
63
231160
3000
我待会会解释为什么我是这样的想的
03:54
However, I came to realize gradually that they may be right --
64
234160
3000
但是 我逐渐意识到他可能是对的
03:57
and I have to convince all my colleagues that this is so, but I’m working on it.
65
237160
3000
我必须说服我所有的同事 这个理论是对的 我正在努力这样做
04:00
Here’s how shape works in normal receptors.
66
240160
6000
这里展示的是 形状是如何对通常的感受器起作用的
04:06
You have a molecule coming in, it gets into the protein, which is schematic here,
67
246160
5000
一个分子进来 进到蛋白质里 图中所示意的就是蛋白质
04:11
and it causes this thing to switch, to turn, to move in some way
68
251160
5000
它让这个东西转变 旋转 向某个方向移动起来
04:16
by binding in certain parts.
69
256160
4000
通过合并某些部分
04:20
And the attraction, the forces, between the molecule and the protein
70
260160
2000
分子和蛋白质之间的互相吸引和作用力
04:22
cause the motion. This is a shape-based idea.
71
262160
5000
造成了运动 这是基于形状理论的想法
04:27
Now, what’s wrong with shape is summarized in this slide.
72
267160
4000
这张幻灯片总结了为什么形状理论是错误的
04:31
The way --I expect everybody to memorize these compounds.
73
271160
5000
这种方式 -- 我希望每一个人把这些化合物都记住
04:36
This is one page of work from a chemist’s workbook, OK?
74
276160
5000
这是一个化学家工作手册中的一页
04:41
Working for a fragrance company.
75
281160
2000
他为一家香水公司工作
04:43
He’s making 45 molecules, and he’s looking for a sandalwood,
76
283160
3000
他要制造45个分子 他正在寻找檀香料
04:46
something that smells of sandalwood.
77
286160
1000
就是闻起来像檀香木的东西
04:47
Because there’s a lot of money in sandalwoods.
78
287160
2000
因为檀香木很贵
04:49
And of these 45 molecules, only 4629 actually smells of sandalwood.
79
289160
7000
在这45个分子之中 只有编号为4629的闻起来像檀香木
04:56
And he puts an exclamation mark, OK? This is an awful lot of work.
80
296160
3000
于是他在上面标注了一个感叹号 这个工作量很大
04:59
This actually is roughly, in man-years of work, 200,000 dollars roughly,
81
299160
5000
这大概是一个人好几年的工作量 大约需要20万美金
05:04
if you keep them on the low salaries with no benefits.
82
304160
4000
在低酬劳和没有福利的条件下 是20万美金
05:08
So this is a profoundly inefficient process.
83
308160
2000
如此 这是一个效率极低的过程
05:10
And my definition of a theory is, it’s not just something
84
310160
3000
我认为“理论”不仅是可以
05:13
that you teach people; it’s labor saving.
85
313160
2000
拿来教授别人的东西 同时也是节约劳动力的东西
05:15
A theory is something that enables you to do less work.
86
315160
3000
一个理论可以使人们做更少的工作
05:18
I love the idea of doing less work. So let me explain to you why -- a very simple fact
87
318160
6000
我喜欢少做工作这个想法 让我来解释为什么 一个非常简单的事实
05:24
that tells you why this shape theory really does not work very well.
88
324160
5000
它会告诉你们为什么形状的理论并不成立
05:29
This is cis-3-hexene-1-ol. It smells of cut grass.
89
329160
5000
这是顺3己醇 闻起来像割下来的青草
05:34
This is cis-3-hexene-1-thiol, and this smells of rotten eggs, OK?
90
334160
7000
这是顺3己硫醇 闻起来像臭鸡蛋
05:41
Now, you will have noticed that vodka never smells of rotten eggs.
91
341160
5000
现在 你们一定已经意识到 伏特加酒闻起来绝不像臭鸡蛋
05:46
If it does, you put the glass down, you go to a different bar.
92
346160
4000
如果闻起来像的话 你就把杯子放下 去另外一家酒吧
05:50
This is -- in other words, we never get the O-H --
93
350160
5000
这是 -- 换句话说 我们绝对不会
05:55
we never mistake it for an S-H, OK?
94
355160
3000
把S-H错误地认为是O-H
05:58
Like, at no concentration, even pure, you know,
95
358160
3000
无论是在什么样的浓度 甚至是纯的情况下
06:01
if you smelt pure ethanol, it doesn’t smell of rotten eggs.
96
361160
3000
如果你闻到纯的乙醇 它闻起来绝对不像臭鸡蛋
06:04
Conversely, there is no concentration at which the sulfur compound will smell like vodka.
97
364160
7000
相反 无论在什么浓度下 硫化合物会闻起来都不会像伏特加酒
06:11
It’s very hard to explain this by molecular recognition.
98
371160
4000
用分子识别来解释这个问题 难度很大
06:15
Now, I showed this to a physicist friend of mine who has a profound distaste
99
375160
2000
我把问题拿给我的一个物理学家朋友看 他一点也不喜欢生物
06:17
for biology, and he says, "That’s easy! The things are a different color!"
100
377160
4000
他说 这太简单了 两个东西的颜色不一样啊
06:21
(Laughter)
101
381160
5000
(笑声)
06:26
We have to go a little beyond that. Now let me explain why vibrational theory has
102
386160
5000
我们需要进一步深入 现在我来解释
06:31
some sort of interest in it. These molecules, as you saw in the beginning,
103
391160
4000
为什么震动理论有一定的道理 这些分子 正如你们开始时看到的
06:35
the building blocks had springs connecting them to each other.
104
395160
2000
是基本组成 它们之间有弹簧连接着
06:37
In fact, molecules are able to vibrate at a set of frequencies
105
397160
3000
事实上 分子可以在一定的频率下震动
06:40
which are very specific for each molecule and for the bonds connecting them.
106
400160
4000
每一个不同的分子和不同的连接方式 都有特定的频率
06:44
So this is the sound of the O-H stretch, translated into the audible range.
107
404160
8000
所以 这是O-H键发出的声音 转化成人耳可以听到的频率
06:53
S-H, quite a different frequency.
108
413160
2000
S-H键 有十分不同的频率
06:55
Now, this is kind of interesting, because it tells you
109
415160
4000
现在看来 这十分有趣 因为它告诉你
06:59
that you should be looking for a particular fact, which is this:
110
419160
3000
你应该寻找一个独特的事实 事实是:
07:02
nothing in the world smells like rotten eggs except S-H, OK?
111
422160
4000
除了S-H以外 没有其他东西闻起来像臭鸡蛋
07:06
Now, Fact B: nothing in the world has that frequency except S-H.
112
426160
7000
第二个事实就是 除了S-H 没有其他东西有那样的频率
07:13
If you look on this, imagine a piano keyboard.
113
433160
2000
如果你看到这些 想象一下钢琴的键盘
07:15
The S-H stretch is in the middle of a part of the keyboard
114
435160
4000
S-H键是在键盘的中间部分
07:19
that has been, so to speak, damaged,
115
439160
2000
可以说键盘的那部分损坏了
07:21
and there are no neighboring notes, nothing is close to it.
116
441160
3000
也没有其他的音符挨着它
07:24
You have a unique smell, a unique vibration.
117
444160
2000
你得到的是一个独特的味道 一种独特的震动
07:26
So I went searching when I started in this game
118
446160
2000
在这个游戏的最初 我就开始寻找
07:28
to convince myself that there was any degree of plausibility
119
448160
3000
说服我自己 这个理论有一定的合理性
07:31
to this whole crazy story.
120
451160
2000
这整个故事有点疯狂
07:33
I went searching for a type of molecule, any molecule,
121
453160
3000
我开始寻找一种分子 任何分子
07:36
that would have that vibration and that -- the obvious prediction
122
456160
5000
会有那种震动的分子 -- 明显地 我预测
07:41
was that it should absolutely smell of sulfur.
123
461160
2000
那种分子一定闻起来像硫
07:43
If it didn’t, the whole idea was toast, and I might as well move on to other things.
124
463160
6000
如果闻起来不像 那么整个想法就是糟糕透顶 我最好还是去做别的事情
07:49
Now, after searching high and low for several months,
125
469160
4000
在到处寻找几个月后
07:53
I discovered that there was a type of molecule called a Borane
126
473160
5000
我发现有一种叫做硼烷的分子
07:58
which has exactly the same vibration.
127
478160
2000
和硫有一模一样的震动
08:00
Now the good news is, Boranes you can get hold of.
128
480160
3000
好消息是硼烷是可以获取的
08:03
The bad news is they’re rocket fuels.
129
483160
3000
坏消息是 它是火箭燃料
08:06
Most of them explode spontaneously in contact with air,
130
486160
3000
大部分情况下 它们在遇到空气的瞬间就会爆炸
08:09
and when you call up the companies, they only give you minimum ten tons, OK?
131
489160
4000
而且 你打电话向公司询问 他们会告诉你你最少要买10顿
08:13
(Laughter)
132
493160
3000
(笑声)
08:16
So this was not what they call a laboratory-scale experiment,
133
496160
3000
所以这不是一个实验室规模的实验
08:19
and they wouldn’t have liked it at my college.
134
499160
2000
我所工作的学院也不会喜欢这个主意
08:21
However, I managed to get a hold of a Borane eventually, and here is the beast.
135
501160
8000
无论如何 我最终得到了一些硼烷 这就是那个"怪物"
08:29
And it really does have the same -- if you calculate,
136
509160
2000
结果和我预期的一样 -- 如果你计算
08:31
if you measure the vibrational frequencies, they are the same as S-H.
137
511160
4000
如果你计算振动频率 它的和S-H的一样
08:35
Now, does it smell of sulfur? Well, if you go back in the literature,
138
515160
5000
现在 来看看它闻起来像不像硫 如果你去查文献
08:40
there’s a man who knew more about Boranes than anyone
139
520160
3000
会发现有一个人比历史上任何人都更了解硼烷
08:43
alive then or since, Alfred Stock, he synthesized all of them.
140
523160
5000
阿尔弗雷德·斯托克 他用人工的方法合成过所有的硼烷类物质
08:48
And in an enormous 40-page paper in German he says, at one point --
141
528160
6000
在他用德语写成的 长达40页的论文中 他曾说
08:54
my wife is German and she translated it for me --
142
534160
3000
我太太是德国人 她为我翻译了一下
08:57
and at one point he says, "ganz widerlich Geruch,"
143
537160
2000
他曾说 “ganz widerlich Geruch”
08:59
an "absolutely repulsive smell," which is good. Reminiscent of hydrogen sulfide.
144
539160
6000
意思就是“绝对令人厌恶的味道” 很好 让人想起硫化氢
09:05
So this fact that Boranes smell of sulfur
145
545160
3000
硼烷闻起来像硫这一事实
09:08
had been known since 1910, and utterly forgotten until 1997, 1998.
146
548160
7000
自从1910年人们就知道了 但是却全然被大家遗忘了 直到1997年 1998年
09:15
Now, the slight fly in the ointment is this: that
147
555160
4000
现在唯一的不足就是
09:19
if we smell molecular vibrations, we must have a spectroscope in our nose.
148
559160
5000
如果我们闻到的是分子的震动 我们的鼻子里一定要有一个分光镜才行
09:24
Now, this is a spectroscope, OK, on my laboratory bench.
149
564160
5000
这是一个分光镜 在我实验室的椅子上
09:29
And it’s fair to say that if you look up somebody’s nose,
150
569160
2000
可以这么说 如果你观察一个人的鼻子内部
09:31
you’re unlikely to see anything resembling this.
151
571160
3000
你不会看到任何类似这个的东西
09:34
And this is the main objection to the theory.
152
574160
2000
这是反对这个理论的主要观点
09:36
OK, great, we smell vibrations. How? All right?
153
576160
5000
好吧 我们闻到的是震动 怎么闻到呢
09:41
Now when people ask this kind of question, they neglect something,
154
581160
2000
当人们问这个问题的时候 他们忽略了一些事情
09:43
which is that physicists are really clever, unlike biologists.
155
583160
4000
物理学家都是很聪明的 不像生物学家
09:47
(Laughter)
156
587160
3000
(笑声)
09:50
This is a joke. I’m a biologist, OK?
157
590160
2000
这是玩笑话 我是生物学家 好不好
09:52
So it’s a joke against myself.
158
592160
1000
这是一个自嘲的玩笑
09:53
Bob Jacklovich and John Lamb at Ford Motor Company,
159
593160
3000
福特汽车公司的 鲍勃·捷克洛维奇 和 约翰·兰姆
09:56
in the days when Ford Motor was spending vast amounts of money
160
596160
2000
在福特公司花大手笔
09:58
on fundamental research, discovered a way
161
598160
4000
进行基础研究的时候 发现了
10:02
to build a spectroscope that was intrinsically nano-scale.
162
602160
4000
制造纳米级分光镜的方式
10:06
In other words, no mirrors, no lasers, no prisms, no nonsense,
163
606160
3000
换句话说 没有镜片 没有激光 没有棱镜 没有废话
10:09
just a tiny device, and he built this device. And this device uses electron tunneling.
164
609160
5000
只是一个很小的设备 他们用电子贯穿制造出这样的仪器
10:14
Now, I could do the dance of electron tunneling,
165
614160
3000
我其实可以给你们演示电子贯穿的过程
10:17
but I’ve done a video instead, which is much more interesting. Here’s how it works.
166
617160
5000
但是我做了一个视频 这样更有意思一些 是这样的
10:22
Electrons are fuzzy creatures, and they can jump across gaps,
167
622160
4000
电子是糊里糊涂的家伙 它们可以越过间隙
10:26
but only at equal energy. If the energy differs, they can’t jump.
168
626160
5000
但只有在能量相同的情况下 如果能量不同 它们就跳不了
10:31
Unlike us, they won’t fall off the cliff.
169
631160
2000
但是和我们不同 它们不会从悬崖掉下去
10:33
OK. Now. If something absorbs the energy, the electron can travel.
170
633160
7000
好吧 现在 如果有什么东西把能量吸收了 电子就可以飞驰了
10:40
So here you have a system, you have something --
171
640160
3000
现在你们已经了解了这个体系 要是有
10:43
and there’s plenty of that stuff in biology --
172
643160
1000
生物界有很多这样的东西
10:44
some substance giving an electron, and the electron tries to jump,
173
644160
5000
要是有一些物质可以提供电子 电子想要越过间隙
10:49
and only when a molecule comes along that has the right vibration
174
649160
4000
只有在一个有匹配震动的分子出现时
10:53
does the reaction happen, OK?
175
653160
2000
反应才会发生
10:55
This is the basis for the device that these two guys at Ford built.
176
655160
4000
这是福特公司那两个制作的仪器的基本原理
10:59
And every single part of this mechanism is actually plausible in biology.
177
659160
7000
实际上 这个机制的每一个步骤 在生物领域中都是可行的
11:06
In other words, I’ve taken off-the-shelf components,
178
666160
1000
换句话讲 我用现成的部件
11:07
and I’ve made a spectroscope.
179
667160
2000
做成了一个分光镜
11:09
What’s nice about this idea, if you have a philosophical bent of mind,
180
669160
4000
如果你有点哲学的天赋 你会发现这个点子的绝妙之处在于
11:13
is that then it tells you that the nose,
181
673160
2000
它告诉你 鼻子
11:15
the ear and the eye are all vibrational senses.
182
675160
3000
耳朵 眼睛可以感知震动
11:18
Of course, it doesn’t matter, because it could also be that they’re not.
183
678160
4000
当然 这关系并不大 因为他们不能感知震动也是有可能的
11:22
But it has a certain --
184
682160
1000
但是 它有一定的
11:23
(Laughter)
185
683160
2000
(笑声)
11:25
-- it has a certain ring to it which is attractive to people
186
685160
4000
这个理论对某些人来说有一定的吸引力
11:29
who read too much 19th-century German literature.
187
689160
4000
对阅读了太多十九世纪德国文学的人来说
11:33
And then a magnificent thing happened:
188
693160
1000
于是发生了一件绝妙的事情
11:34
I left academia and joined the real world of business,
189
694160
6000
我离开了学术界 到现实世界经营起生意
11:40
and a company was created around my ideas
190
700160
3000
一个公司在我的想法的基础上建成了
11:43
to make new molecules using my method,
191
703160
3000
用我的方式合成新分子
11:46
along the lines of, let’s put someone else’s money where your mouth is.
192
706160
4000
依照这样一个理念: 用别人的钱来喂自己的嘴
11:50
And one of the first things that happened was
193
710160
4000
最开始 发生了一件事情
11:54
we started going around to fragrance companies
194
714160
2000
我们来到香水公司
11:56
asking for what they needed, because, of course,
195
716160
4000
问他们需要什么 因为
12:00
if you could calculate smell, you don’t need chemists.
196
720160
2000
如果你能计算气味的话 当然也就不需要化学家了
12:02
You need a computer, a Mac will do it, if you know how to program the thing right,
197
722160
4000
你需要的是一台电脑 一台苹果电脑就成 如果你知道如何正确操作
12:06
OK? So you can try a thousand molecules,
198
726160
4000
你可以试一千个分子
12:10
you can try ten thousand molecules in a weekend,
199
730160
3000
也可以一个星期试一万个分子
12:13
and then you only tell the chemists to make the right one.
200
733160
3000
然后只需告诉化学家 让他们去制造那一个正确的就可以了
12:16
And so that’s a direct path to making new odorants.
201
736160
4000
这是制造新气味的直接方式
12:20
And one of the first things that happened was
202
740160
1000
最开始发生的事情是
12:21
we went to see some perfumers in France --
203
741160
2000
我们去法国见香水师
12:23
and here’s where I do my Charles Fleischer impression --
204
743160
2000
那里给我留下了一个印象 就像是查尔斯·弗莱舍经历的一般
12:25
and one of them says, "You cannot make a coumarin."
205
745160
4000
其中一个人说 你一定合成不出香豆素
12:29
He says to me, "I bet you cannot make a coumarin."
206
749160
3000
他对我说 我打赌你肯定合成不出香豆素
12:32
Now, coumarin is a very common thing, a material,
207
752160
4000
香豆素是香水中一个十分平常的原料
12:36
in fragrance which is derived from a bean that comes from South America.
208
756160
3000
从来自南美的豆子中提炼出来的
12:39
And it is the classic synthetic aroma chemical, OK?
209
759160
4000
是一种经典的合成香料♫
12:43
It’s the molecule that has made men’s fragrances
210
763160
4000
是男性香水的主要成分
12:47
smell the way they do since 1881, to be exact.
211
767160
3000
确切地说是自1881年以来的主要成分
12:50
And the problem is it’s a carcinogen.
212
770160
3000
问题是 香豆素是致癌的
12:53
So nobody likes particularly to -- you know, aftershave with carcinogens.
213
773160
6000
没有人尤其喜欢 他们的须后水里含有致癌物
12:59
(Laughter)
214
779160
2000
(笑声)
13:01
There are some reckless people, but it’s not worth it, OK?
215
781160
3000
确实有一些人不要命 但是也并不值得这样做
13:04
So they asked us to make a new coumarin. And so we started doing calculations.
216
784160
5000
于是他们让我们合成香豆素 我们便开始计算
13:09
And the first thing you do is you calculate the vibrational spectrum
217
789160
3000
第一件要做的事情就是计算香豆素的震动频率
13:12
of coumarin, and you smooth it out,
218
792160
1000
计算完成 就顺利多了
13:13
so that you have a nice picture of what the sort of chord, so to speak, of coumarin is.
219
793160
6000
现在你有一张 可以说是香豆素"和弦"的图片
13:19
And then you start cranking the computer to find other molecules,
220
799160
6000
然后你启动电脑 寻找其他分子
13:25
related or unrelated, that have the same vibrations.
221
805160
3000
相关的或者不相关的都可以 寻找那些有相同震动的
13:28
And we actually, in this case, I’m sorry to say,
222
808160
4000
实际上 在这件事情上 我很遗憾地说
13:32
it happened -- it was serendipitous.
223
812160
2000
我们找到了 是偶然间发现的
13:34
Because I got a phone call from our chief chemist
224
814160
3000
我接到我们的一位首席化学家打来电话
13:37
and he said, look, I’ve just found this such a beautiful reaction,
225
817160
5000
他说 听着 我刚刚发现一个完美的反应
13:42
that even if this compound doesn’t smell of coumarin,
226
822160
1000
即使这个化合物闻起来不像香豆素
13:43
I want to do it, it’s just such a nifty,
227
823160
3000
我也想用它 它闻起来实在太棒了
13:46
one step -- I mean, chemists have weird minds --
228
826160
3000
只需要一步 我的意思是 化学家的头脑太古怪了
13:49
one step, 90 percent yield, you know, and you get this lovely
229
829160
4000
一步 就可以得出90%的结果 你就找到了这么美好的
13:53
crystalline compound. Let us try it.
230
833160
2000
水晶般透明的化合物 我们来试一试
13:55
And I said, first of all, let me do the calculation on that compound, bottom right,
231
835160
4000
然后 我说 让我先计算一下那个化合物 右下角那个
13:59
which is related to coumarin, but has an extra pentagon inserted into the molecule.
232
839160
6000
它和香豆素有一定的关系 但是比香豆素的结构多了一个五边形
14:05
Calculate the vibrations, the purple spectrum is that new fellow,
233
845160
5000
计算它的震动频率 紫色的光谱代表的就是那个新发现的家伙
14:10
the white one is the old one.
234
850160
1000
白色的部分 是以前的那个
14:11
And the prediction is it should smell of coumarin.
235
851160
4000
我们的预测是 它闻起来应该和香豆素一样
14:15
They made it ... and it smelled exactly like coumarin.
236
855160
8000
他们成功了 这个物质闻起来的确和香豆素一模一样
14:23
And this is our new baby, called tonkene.
237
863160
5000
这就是我们新的宝贝 叫做汤克恩
14:28
You see, when you’re a scientist, you’re always selling ideas.
238
868160
2000
你们看 科学家出售的是想法
14:30
And people are very resistant to ideas, and rightly so.
239
870160
4000
然而 人们对新想法往往采取抵抗的态度 这也有一定道理
14:34
Why should new ideas be accepted?
240
874160
2000
为什么要接受新的想法呢
14:36
But when you put a little 10-gram vial on the table in front of perfumers
241
876160
6000
但是 当你把一个10克的小瓶放在香水师面前的桌子上
14:42
and it smells like coumarin, and it isn’t coumarin,
242
882160
2000
它闻起来像香豆素 却又不是香豆素
14:44
and you’ve found it in three weeks,
243
884160
2000
你用三个星期的时间 找到了它
14:46
this focuses everybody’s mind wonderfully.
244
886160
3000
这迎合了每个人的心意
14:49
(Laughter)
245
889160
1000
(笑声)
14:50
(Applause)
246
890160
6000
(掌声)
14:56
And people often ask me, is your theory accepted?
247
896160
4000
人们经常问我 你的理论被人们接受了没有
15:00
And I said, well, by whom? I mean most, you know -- there’s three attitudes:
248
900160
5000
我说 被谁接受 我的意思是 -- 对我的理论有三种态度
15:05
You’re right, and I don’t know why, which is the most rational one at this point.
249
905160
4000
你是对的 虽然我不知道为什么 这个态度是最理性的
15:09
You’re right, and I don’t care how you do it, in a sense;
250
909160
4000
你是对的 某种程度上来说 我并不关心你是怎么做到的
15:13
you bring me the molecules, you know.
251
913160
1000
你给我分子就好
15:14
And: You’re completely wrong, and I’m sure you’re completely wrong.
252
914160
3000
还有 就是你完全错了 我十分肯定是你完全错了。
15:17
OK? Now, we’re dealing with people who only want results,
253
917160
3000
今天 我们在和只在乎结果的人们打交道
15:20
and this is the commercial world.
254
920160
2000
这是一个商业的世界
15:22
And they tell us that even if we do it by astrology, they’re happy.
255
922160
5000
他们告诉我们 即便我们是用占星术得到的结果 他们也高兴
15:27
But we’re not actually doing it by astrology.
256
927160
3000
但是 我们并没有利用占星术
15:30
But for the last three years, I’ve had what I consider to be
257
930160
2000
在过去的三年里 我拥有
15:32
the best job in the entire universe, which is to put my hobby --
258
932160
5000
我认为全宇宙最好的工作 也就是我的兴趣所在-
15:37
which is, you know, fragrance and all the magnificent things --
259
937160
2000
你们都知道 就是 香水和其他美好的事情
15:39
plus a little bit of biophysics, a small amount of self-taught chemistry
260
939160
5000
加上一点点生物物理学的知识 一些自学的化学知识
15:44
at the service of something that actually works.
261
944160
2000
为真正可行的事业服务
15:46
Thank you very much.
262
946160
1000
十分感谢
15:47
(Applause)
263
947160
1000
(掌声)

Original video on YouTube.com
关于本网站

这个网站将向你介绍对学习英语有用的YouTube视频。你将看到来自世界各地的一流教师教授的英语课程。双击每个视频页面上显示的英文字幕,即可从那里播放视频。字幕会随着视频的播放而同步滚动。如果你有任何意见或要求,请使用此联系表与我们联系。

https://forms.gle/WvT1wiN1qDtmnspy7


This website was created in October 2020 and last updated on June 12, 2025.

It is now archived and preserved as an English learning resource.

Some information may be out of date.

隐私政策

eng.lish.video

Developer's Blog