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05.06.2009 11:17

Key to the Future - The 59th Meeting of Nobel Laureates at Lindau

Christian Rapp Communication and Organisation
Kuratorium für die Tagungen der Nobelpreisträger in Lindau e.V.

Chemical Approaches to global challenges will be one of the central topics of the meeting of 23 Nobel Laureates with the world's best young talent in Lindau. Nobel Laureates on: Biochemistry of the Living Cell, Analysis of Surface Reactions, New Strategies in Synthesis

Chemistry can make a substantial contribution to ensure the survival of mankind on its strained planet. During the 21st century, chemistry will play a key role in the efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, convert to renewable energies, develop environmentally sound methods for the production of goods and new materials, and in the effort to combat disease. This is the conviction with which 23 Nobel Laureates and nearly 600 highly gifted young researchers from 66 countries will be convening at the 59th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, beginning on the 28th of June.

The participants of this unique, tradion-steeped workshop for the future will spend a week listening to lectures, discussing topics of current interest, and forging valuable relationships/connections. This year's meeting also celebrates the centenary of Count Lennart Bernadotte, its guiding spirit and co-founder. On this occasion, the Council and the Foundation for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are organizing the "Discoveries" exhibit on the Isle of Mainau, which will address the sustainable management of water resources. The exhibit will be inaugurated on July 3, the closing day of the meeting, with a panel discussion on "Climate Change and Sustainability", and will be open to the public for two months. The issue of sustainability will be a focus of the meeting. The Nobel Laureates' panel on June 30 devoted to the ways in which chemistry can contribute to the development of renewable energies, is likely to be an exciting and controversial event.

A particular emphasis will be placed on the following subject areas, as essential elements in the search for sustainable chemical processes:

Biochemistry of the Living Cell:

Nearly half of the lectures at this year's meeting will cover basic biochemical principles of life. An indispensable tool for researchers all over the world in the modern-day effort to explore these principles is the green fluorescent protein (GFP). With the help of this protein, vital molecules can be labeled within the cell and their interactions observed. Osami Shimomura, Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien were awarded last year's Nobel Prize for the discovery and development of this 'intra-cellular light pen'. All three Laureates will be on hand this summer in Lindau. Aaron Ciechanover (Nobel Prize 2004) decisively helped decode the mechanism involved in the breakdown of proteins. In Lindau, he will discuss how indispensable this biological waste management is for our health. Kurt Wüthrich, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002, will describe the significance of structural genome research to the investigation of the 'universe of proteins'.
The discoverer of water channels in cell membranes, Peter Agre (Nobel Prize 2003), also will arrive at Lake Constance in late June, presenting an unconventional experience of environmental challenges: 'Canoeing in the arctic, a scientist's perspective'.

Analysis of Surface Reactions:

When gases such as oxygen or hydrogen come in contact with solid surfaces, there are essentially two kinds of reaction that can take place: either the surface helps the gases form new bonds, or the gases corrode the surface. The former can be seen, for instance, when carbon monoxide is converted to carbon dioxide on platinum surfaces of catalytic converters in automobiles; the latter occurs when iron rusts. Surface reactions are also the driving force behind the production of synthetic fertilizers and energy generation in fuel cells. As a pioneer in the investigation of such reactions, Gerhard Ertl of Berlin received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2007. His lecture, 'From Atoms to Complexity - Reactions on Surfaces', will kick off the scientific programme at the meeting. Surface reactions occurring on ice crystals in clouds above the South Pole, accelerate the breakdown of the Earth's protective ozone layer; this decomposition was primarily triggered by chlorofluorocarbons, which have since been prohibited. Paul Crutzen, Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for their pioneering work in this field. All three researchers will address current dimensions of climate change in Lindau.

New Strategies in Synthesis:

Many chemical syntheses would not be possible if not for the - usually metal-based - catalysts that help reagents along without undergoing modifications themselves. This is why catalyst research leads to revolutionary improvements in chemical production. An example is provided by the discovery of the 'metathesis reaction', for which the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2005. In metathesis, two organic molecules, which are each characterized by rather inert carbon double bonds, are enabled to exchange atom groups. Its invention lead to an abrupt expansion in the scope of chemical syntheses. With metathesis, medicines or plastics can be produced with less harm to the environment, and at lower cost. Metatheses are viewed as the door opener to 'green chemistry', with optimal links between ecology and economy. Two of the three Laureates from 2005, Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock, will take part in this year's meeting. Also eagerly awaited is the lecture by Ryoji Noyori about chemistry as the key to our future. The Japanese scientist is one of the three chemists presented with the Nobel Prize in 2001 in recognition of their discovery of methods for the unambiguous catalytic production of chiral substances (substances non-superimposable on their mirror images). Conventional syntheses usually lead to mixtures of two mirror-image forms of a product, a consequence that can, for instance, adversely affect drug safety and effectiveness.

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Weitere Informationen:

http://lindau-nobel.de/2009_Meeting_Chemistry.AxCMS?ActiveID=1338 - Programme, Abstracts, Participants of the 59th Meeting of Nobel Laureates (June 28th - July 3rd)

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Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Biologie, Chemie, Meer / Klima, Umwelt / Ökologie
überregional
Wissenschaftliche Tagungen
Englisch

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