Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Chemistry Has No Nationality

2018; Wiley; Volume: 57; Issue: 31 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/anie.201802775

1521-3773

John Holman, Edwin Silvester,

Science and Science Education

“… Our job is to make absolutely sure that the needs of science are made very clear to government, and are emphasised again and again and again. Because I really believe that strong science benefits everyone. It's not just scientists who benefit: we all benefit from scientific discoveries, and a country with a strong base in science will have a strong knowledge economy …” Read more in the Editorial by Sir John Holman and Edwin Silvester. It was a fantastic event, held in the Konzerthaus Berlin House, and was brilliantly well organised. When invited to speak, I offered our heartfelt congratulations on your anniversary and our sincere thanks for 150 years of collaboration and shared passion for the chemical sciences. I spoke about our joint origins, including the influence of the founding president, August Wilhelm von Hofmann, who played a major role in our own history as President of the Chemical Society. I made the point that chemistry has no nationality, it is an international subject with an international language, and chemists collaborate outside of borders. In addition to the event in Berlin, in October we invited GDCh colleagues to join the German Ambassador to the UK for a celebration at Burlington House, in London, which has been the home of the Royal Society of Chemistry since the mid-19th century. My colleagues in our Burlington House library found in our archives a statement, sent in 1892, from Alexander Crum Brown, then president of the Chemical Society, to the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft (one of the predecessor organizations of the GDCh) to celebrate its 25th anniversary, and he made this same point, that chemistry has no nationality. The words of my predecessor 125 years ago were warm, sincere, and prescient; in particular, one paragraph, which says: “It will in the future come to be regarded as the greatest service of the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft that it has done so much to render possible the ultimate denationalisation of chemical science … Chemists of all nations record their results in the pages of its publication, which has become a meeting ground where international jealousies disappear and the spirit of utmost toleration prevails.” What Crum Brown said in 1892 is just as true today and, with the debate around the UK's exit from the European Union continuing, we need to emphasise it now more than ever. Chemistry, like any science, depends on scientists crossing borders, and if they can't cross borders they can't get to work with each other. You might wonder why that matters now that we have the internet, but it does, because we're human, and humans work best when they can interact personally. Both anniversary events celebrate a long-lived relationship amongst two of the greatest chemistry nations in the world. It's a relationship that has survived all sorts of turbulence, including two world wars, and is as strong now as it has ever been. There is recognition that there are some areas where we compete—we compete to sell top-quality chemistry journals for example—but a strong recognition that there's far more on which we can, and must, work together. To commemorate our ongoing commitment to collaboration and our long-standing friendship, the Presidents and senior officers of both societies signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding, in the presence of the German Ambassador to the UK, Peter Ammon (Figure 1). Dr. Ammon spoke to celebrate the longstanding and intertwined relationship between our two chemistry societies. He said: Signing the renewed Memorandum of Understanding between the two societies at the joint RSC–GDCh Symposium to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the GDCh. More details can be found at Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 15799. Picture from the RSC. “Celebrating this event together highlights the strong bond between both institutions that has existed over such a long period of time … However, science by its nature looks forward rather than back. In a fast-changing world, chemistry is vital for human prosperity, and the work of scientists is becoming more important than ever. Our joint celebration perfectly underlines that science knows no borders.” The transcending theme that I find whenever I go overseas is that chemistry has no nationality, and that scientists must be free to cross borders, in order to interact and exchange ideas. Hanging over all of this is Brexit and the recognition that it may be harder for us in the UK to collaborate internationally in the future, particularly in Europe where collaboration is at present so easy. I hope not: I hope that our governments will listen to what we're saying about the value of international partnerships and the mobility of researchers. When you travel, you keep learning. You meet new people and you learn about the different things they do. But you also realise there are many similarities in the way that science is practised and the things that motivate scientists: the need to pursue one's career, the respect that young researchers have for the older researchers that they've learned from, and the lifelong bonds that form between researchers. These are consistent in any country. One of the great experiences I've had as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry came when I was in India recently, visiting a school in Mumbai. I'd asked if I could see a chemistry lesson, so I was shown into a chemistry class of 14 year olds and I sat at the back and watched 20 minutes or so of the lesson—and then the teacher turned to me and said “would you teach them now”? I said, “Yes I would love to”, thinking I would teach them for about ten minutes. I gave them a short lesson on the periodic table, and their hunger to learn, the sponge-like absorption of knowledge and the hands going up with questions, was wonderful. I did my ten minutes and I said to the teacher, “Thank you very much, I enjoyed that” and he said, “Oh no, you've got another half an hour!” I improvised another half hour. I started by saying: “Let me tell you about chemical equations”, and I ended up being pursued down the corridor by young people wanting to balance chemical equations for me. In visiting other countries, I also learn how lucky we are, in many ways, in having such strong research institutions in our countries, which without any doubt are world-class. You see what a long way some countries still have to go in the development of their research, but also how fast some of them are moving, particularly in countries such as China, India, and Brazil. In March 2018, I attended the American Chemical Society Conference in New Orleans. This convention included a Presidents’ Symposium jointly with Prof. Allison Campbell (ACS Past President) and Prof. Dr. Thisbe Lindhorst, GDCh Past President. The theme was trust in the chemical sciences and the importance of it. This, of course, has great relevance to a world where it seems trust and truth don't necessarily have the value that we would like them to. There was a lovely quote in a recent issue of Chemistry World from Nobel Laureate Professor Ben Feringa, who is a Trustee of the Royal Society of Chemistry: “The biggest threat to science is those who think science is only an opinion”, which I think is a perfect way of putting it. We know our planet's population is projected to reach nine billion by 2050 and as individuals, communities, companies, and nations, we all have a role to play in tackling the interconnected global challenges that this growth presents. Our international chemical science community is already collaborating to develop innovative solutions, from water purification membranes and drought-resistant crops, to new antibiotics, batteries, and solar cells—and history shows us that blue-skies scientific research leads to the technology breakthroughs of tomorrow. We will continue our crucial contribution to international chemistry collaboration this year, as the EuCheMS (European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences) Congress comes to Liverpool in the UK, in August. I'm really looking forward to hearing from leading speakers from around the world—on the theme of Molecular Frontiers and Global Challenges—including plenary talks from representatives of our countries, including the UK's Professor Chris Dobson and Professor Stephanie Dehnen, from Germany. The congress presents a great opportunity to connect to people, particularly from all over Europe but also beyond. It's perfect timing because the subliminal message that people may have from the media is that the UK is turning its back on Europe, closing the doors. In our part of the world—at least, in Liverpool in 2018—we will be throwing them open to people from all over Europe. There's a big symbolic point there, as well as a real one. Our job is to make absolutely sure that the needs of science are made very clear to government, and are emphasised again and again and again. Because I really believe that strong science, in this country and internationally, benefits everyone. It's not just scientists who benefit: we all benefit from scientific discoveries, and a country with a strong base in science will have a strong knowledge economy. For 150 years, our chemistry communities have collaborated, shared and flourished, for the benefit of our members and society, and I am proud to have had such opportunities to celebrate the anniversary of the GDCh, and the legacy of our joint founding father, August Wilhelm von Hofmann. From the first days of the GDCh he exemplified the value of international collaboration and friendship, paving the way for the shared mission of our two societies, which has continued to this day and will continue for many years to come.