改变世界的17种物质

SYDNEY: All molecules are not created equal. Some have saved billions of lives, wreaked environmental havoc or made the world a more colorful place. Here's our selection of those that have changed the course of human history. 发自悉尼：分子并非同时被创造。它们当中有的已经存在亿万年，或者造成环境的大破坏，或者让世界变得更加丰富多彩。在这里，我们将选出十七种改变人类历史进程的物质分子。

PENICILLIN — R-C9H11N2O4S

When British microbiologist Alexander Fleming stumbled upon penicillin in 1928, he couldn't have imagined the impact it would have on modern medicine. Fleming noticed that Petri dishes with mould on them grew no bacteria, and in doing so discovered the first antibiotic. Before penicillin came into widespread use in the 1940s, wounds and diseases like syphilis were killers; antibiotics have since saved an estimated 200 million lives.

青霉素R-C9H11N2O4S

1928年，当英国微生物学家亚历山大·弗莱明首次发现青霉素时，他并没有料到这种物质对现代医学造成怎样的影响。弗莱明注意到，在发霉的培养皿中没有生长任何细菌，由此，他发现了第一种抗生素。到1940年代青霉素被广泛使用之前，像梅毒这样的创伤病害便足以杀死人类；自从抗生素被发现之后，据估计它们至少拯救了两亿生命。

SODIUM CHLORIDE — NaCl

Salt paved the way for modern civilization; it was used to preserve vegetables and meat as long as 4,000 years ago. This gave our ancestors the freedom to store food for hard times, travel long distances and live in harsh climates. Salt is also an important ingredient in the production of chemicals, soap and paper. Sodium chloride is in such high demand that in 2006 alone, 240 million tones were produced.

氯化钠NaCl

盐铺就了现代文明的道路；早在四千年前，它就被用来为蔬菜和肉类保鲜。这让我们的祖先在困难时期、长途旅行或恶劣气候条件下可以自由保存食品。盐也是制造化学品、肥皂和纸张的重要成分。人们对于氯化钠的需求是如此之高，仅在2006年，它们的产量就达到两亿四千万吨。

POTASSIUM NITRATE — KNO3

As the key ingredient in gunpowder, potassium nitrate allowed humans to propel bullets from guns and, in doing so, changed the face of warfare. Today, there are more than 500 million handguns in circulation, causing at least 1,000 deaths every day. The formula for gunpowder was likely discovered in the 8th century, although it wasn't until the 13th century that it was first used in canons.

硝酸钾KNO3

作为制造黑火药的关键成分，正是硝酸钾推动子弹飞出枪膛，而且这样一来还改变了战争的面貌。如今，市面上有超过五亿支手枪在流通，每天造成至少一千人死亡。黑火药的配方似乎早在公元八世纪就已被发现，但直到十三世纪才被用于火炮。

ASPIRIN — C9H8O4

Aspirin is the most widely used drug in the world, with more than 100 billion tablets consumed annually. The active component, salicylic acid, originally from willow bark, was used as a folk remedy as long ago as the 5th century BC. But it wasn't until 1897 that German chemist Felix Hoffman managed to synthesize aspirin in a pure and stable form, making it one of the earliest synthetic drugs. Aspirin is now taken for a huge variety of afflictions, from fever and arthritis to the prevention of heart attacks, stroke and dementia.

阿司匹林C9H8O4

阿司匹林是世界上使用最广泛的药物，每年消耗量高达一千亿片。它来自早在公元前五世纪就被用于民间配方的柳树皮，是这种树皮的一种有效成分。不过直到1897年，德国药剂师费力克斯·霍夫曼才设法把它合成为一种纯净和稳定的形态，因此它并不是最早的合成药物。

SODIUM STEARATE — NaC18H35O2

It's hard to imagine how life might have smelled for the human race prior to the invention of soap. More fastidious hygiene has also been important for stemming the spread of disease. Sodium stearate, the active ingredient in soap, works its magic by helping oil to dissolve in water. According to the United Nations Children's Fund, hand washing with soap prevents up to 1.4 million deaths per year through acute respiratory infections.

硬脂酸钠 NaC18H35O2

很难想象发明肥皂之前的人类生活中充斥着怎样的气味。而更好的卫生习惯也极大阻碍了疾病的传播。作为肥皂的重要组成部分，硬脂酸钠其魔法般的工作原理在于可以把油脂溶解在水中。据联合国儿童基金会统计，用肥皂洗手的行为每年可以让一百四十万人免于因严重呼吸道疾病而死亡。

SILICON — Si

In 1954 the first silicon transistor initiated what has become a A$160 billion global market in semiconductors. Silicon is a key component of computer chips and circuits and it's estimated that there are currently more than one billion computers in use worldwide. Silicon is also used in solar cells, waterproofing treatments and seals, explosives and breast implants.

硅Si

从1954年第一个硅晶体管诞生开始，现在已经发展为价值一千六百亿美元的半导体产业。硅是计算机芯片和电路的关键部件，据估计，目前全世界有超过十亿台计算机。另外，硅还被用于太阳能电池，防水密封，炸药以及胸部填充。

RUBBER — C5H8

Natural rubber has been gathered from the sap of plants for centuries. But rubber only began to be used widely after 1839, when Charles Goodyear found a way to make it strong, durable and elastic. In 1931 U.S. chemist Elmer Bolton developed a synthetic version, and in 2005 we produced 21 million tonnes, with tyres and tubes accounting for 56 per cent of consumption. Other applications include gloves, rubber bands and balloons. Even some rockets and missiles are powered by synthetic, rubber-based fuels.

橡胶C5H8

从植物汁液中收集天然橡胶已经有几个世纪的历史。不过，直到1839年之后橡胶才得到广泛应用，当时查尔斯·固特异发现了一种让它变得更强、更灵活，更持久耐用的方法。1931年，美国化学家埃尔莫·鲍尔顿发明了合成橡胶，仅2005年，全球就生产了两千一百万吨橡胶，其中百分之五十六被用于制造轮胎和各种软管。其他应用还包括手套、橡皮筋和气球。甚至一些火箭和导弹也由以橡胶为基础的合成燃料驱动。

SILICON DIOXIDE — SiO2

As the principal component in glass, silicon dioxide was used as early as 5000 BC. All the panes of glass in the world today cover about four billion square meters. Glass has also been essential for test tubes, telescopes, microscopes, mirrors and camera lenses.

二氧化硅SiO2

作为玻璃的主要成分，二氧化硅早在公元前5000年就被使用。如今全世界所有玻璃板总计约有四十亿平方米。此外，玻璃被用来制作试管、望远镜、显微镜、镜子和相机镜头。

POLYETHYLENE — (C2H4)N

By far the most popular plastic, polyethylene is used in grocery bags, artificial joints and plastic bottles. It's even found in chewing gum. In fact, polyethylene is so ubiquitous that it's hard to imagine life without it. But in 1933 when English chemists Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson discovered it, they thought of it as nothing more than a waste product. Over 70 years later, more than 60 million tones of polyethylene are made each year; but there is a downside, as much of it ends up in landfill where it takes hundreds of years to degrade.

聚乙烯(C2H4)N

由于塑料得到大家喜爱，因此聚乙烯被广泛用于食品包装、人工接头和塑料瓶，它甚至可以用于制造香口胶。实际上，聚乙烯在生活中应用如此之广，很难想象哪里可以缺得了它。不过，在1933年英国化学家埃里克·福西特和雷德纳普·吉布森发现它的价值之前，人们更多的是把它看作一种工业废料。大约七十年后，聚乙烯每年产量达到六千万吨，不过目前它的产量正在下降，因为其最终废弃物需要深埋地下，数百年无法降解。

DDT — C14H9Cl5

In the 1950s and 1960s, DDT was used to eliminate malaria from Europe and North America in a program that, according to the World Health Organisation, saved an estimated 25 million lives. However, as early as the 1940s scientists had begun expressing concern over hazards associated with the use of DDT, and extensive research has since implicated the organ chlorine insecticide in the poisoning of humans, animals and the environment. As a result, its use has been banned or restricted in many countries.

滴滴涕（DDT）C14H9Cl5

1950和1960年代，欧洲以及北美把滴滴涕用于消灭疟疾，距世界卫生组织估计，这至少拯救了两千五百万人的生命。然而，早在1940年代，科学家们就开始关注与滴滴涕打交道造成的危险，并广泛研究了有机氯杀虫剂被大量使用之后对人类、动物和环境造成的毒害。因此，许多国家已经禁止或限制使用这种物质。

MORPHINE — C17H19NO3

A potent painkiller, morphine was first isolated by German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner in 1804. To this day, it remains the most important drug used to minimize suffering in terminally ill patients, particularly cancer sufferers. No other drug is as long-lasting and effective at managing severe pain. Despite this, 80 per cent of the world's population has access to just six per cent of the world's supply. Morphine is more widely distributed in the form of the illicit drug heroin, with an industry estimated at nearly A$100 billion annually.

吗啡C17H19NO3

1804年，德国药剂师弗里德里希·瑟托内尔首次分离出吗啡——这种强效止痛药。至今，它仍然是让晚期病患者，特别是癌症患者减少痛苦的最有效药物。目前还没有其他药物像它那样持久有效的抑制剧痛。尽管如此，占世界百分之八十的人口所能获得的仅占全球吗啡供应的百分之六。它更多的是作为非法毒品海洛因的有效成分出现，估计这一非法行业每年交易额达到一千亿美元。

AMMONIA — NH3

In the early 20th century, the world's growing population couldn't find enough ammonia to fertilize all its crops. Due to the discovery of a technique to mass-produce ammonia, called the Haber process, an estimated two billion people are not starving today. We produce 100 million tones of ammonia for fertilizer each year, but it is also an important ingredient in explosives.

氨NH3

二十世纪初，世界人口不断增长，但人们还没有认识到足够的氨可以让耕地更加肥沃。由于一种被称作哈伯制氨法的可以大规模制造氨的技术被发现，让世界上二十亿人口不再每天挨饿。如今每年我们生产一亿吨氨用于制造肥料，此外，它还是炸药的重要成分。

IRON — Fe

Iron accounts for at least 90 per cent of metal production. Without it we wouldn't have power lines or oil refineries. Iron is a key component of cars, trains, planes, ships, fridges, dishwashers and computers. As a chemical it's also used in insecticides, water purification, sewage treatment and the production of ammonia. Iron was first smelted 3,500 years ago, but it wasn't until English engineer Henry Bessemer's invention in 1856 of an inexpensive way to mass-produce steel from iron that its use skyrocketed. In 2007 alone, 1,900 million tones of iron ore were produced, with 98 per cent of that used to make steel.

铁Fe

钢铁在金属产量中至少占到百分之九十份额。没有它，我们就不会有各种电力线或炼油厂。钢铁是各类汽车、火车、飞机、轮船、冰箱、洗碗机以及计算机的主要组件。作为一种化学原料，它也被用于制造杀虫剂、提纯水、净化污水和制氨。铁首次被使用已有三千五百年历史，但直到1856年，英国工程师亨利·贝西默找到丛铁中廉价提炼钢材的方法，它才被大规模应用。仅2007年就有十九亿吨铁矿石被提炼，其中百分之九十八被用于炼钢。

ETHANOL — C2H6O

If your head is swimming, you're seeing double and suddenly finding everyone attractive, chances are that ethanol is to blame. Worldwide, about two billion people enjoy ethanol, the intoxicant in alcohol. The average Australian, for example, drinks about 10 L of pure alcohol each year. Historians suspect that it was accidentally discovered when our ancestors' grain stores were drenched with rain and fermented by the Sun. The liquor reduces inhibitions, alters moods, impairs judgment and boosts sexual desire. Alcohol consumption is the third largest risk factor for disease in developed countries.

乙醇C2H6O

如果你正感到头晕，眼前出现重影，而且突然感觉每个人都那么可亲，这八成是乙醇的功劳。在全球范围，大约有二十亿人享用乙醇，这种可致醉的醇类化合物。例如，在澳大利亚，平均每人每年饮用十升纯酒精。历史学家们怀疑，由于我们的祖先存储的谷物被雨淋湿后又被阳光发酵，因此偶然发现了这种物质。这种液体可以减少抑制，调节心境，影响判断力，并增进性欲。酒精消费是发达国家第三大危险的致病因素。

SULPHURIC ACID — H2SO4

A country's production of sulphuric acid is a good indication of its industrial might, because at some stage nearly every manufactured good comes into contact with this highly corrosive stuff. It's used in mining, steel production, oil refining and chemical synthesis, and in the manufacture of fertilizers, detergents and plastics. No wonder it's nicknamed "the king of chemicals". Sulphuric acid was discovered in the 8th century, but it only became economically viable in 1746, when English chemist John Roebuck developed a way to produce it in bulk. In 2005 world production of sulphuric acid was estimated at 193 million tones.

硫酸H2SO4

一个国家的硫酸产能是其工业能力的良好指针，因为在某些阶段，几乎各个制造行业都要用到这种高度腐蚀性的原材料。它被用于采矿、炼钢、石油精炼化工，以及制造化肥、洗涤剂和塑料。它的绰号“化学品之王”不容置疑。硫酸早在八世纪就被发现，但它真正用于经济领域是在1746年，当时英国化学家约翰·罗巴克发现了一种批量制造它的方法。据估计，2005年全球硫酸产量达到一亿九千三百万吨。

PROGESTIN — C21H30O2

As the principal component of the pill, progestin allowed women to separate sex from procreation, giving them unprecedented freedom and control over their lives. First synthesized in 1951 by Austrian Carl Djerassi, progestin stops ovulation by imitating the hormone progesterone. Between 1965 and 1995 global fertility rates fell from 4.9 to 2.8 children per woman, largely due to the pill. Today, more than 70 million women around the world use this oral contraceptive.

孕酮C21H30O2

作为一种小药丸的主要成分，孕酮把妇女的性行为从生育中解放出来，为她们的生活带来史无前例的自由。1951年，奥地利人卡尔·杰罗西首次合成了这种药物，它通过模仿孕酮激素的作用制止卵子产生。1965年到1995年，全球每位妇女平均从生育4.9个胎儿降低至2.8个胎儿，这其中绝大多数功劳属于这种小药丸。如今，全球有超过七千万妇女使用这种口服避孕药。

CARBON DIOXIDE — CO2

Scottish chemist Joseph Black discovered and isolated this potent greenhouse gas in the 1750s. At that time, man-made CO2 emissions were about three million tones per year. But by 2005, emissions from fossil fuels alone were 7.9 billion tones, with another 1.5 billion tones caused by forest clearing. Carbon dioxide is the second most important greenhouse gas (after water vapor), trapping heat in our atmosphere and increasing global temperatures via the greenhouse effect. Emissions continue to climb, so unless there's a drastic turnaround, expect the sea level rises, extreme weather events and mass extinctions associated with a rapidly warming globe.

二氧化碳CO2

十八世纪五十年代，苏格兰化学家约瑟夫·布莱克发现并分离了这种强有力的温室气体。当时，人造二氧化碳排放每年约有三百万吨。但到2005年，仅矿物质燃烧一项就造成七十九亿吨二氧化碳被排放，另外森林砍伐也产生十五亿吨。排在水蒸气之后，二氧化碳是第二大重要的温室气体，它阻止我们的大气散热，并通过温室效应增加全球温度。目前其排放量还在上升，因此，除非有急剧转变，否则迅速变暖的地球将遭遇海平面上升，极端气候增加和大规模物种灭绝等一系列难题。