Sixty Years Ago: Czech chemist J.Heyrovský was awarded the Nobel Prize ****************************************************************************************** * Sixty years ago: A Nobel Prize for J. Heyrovský ****************************************************************************************** December 10 marks exactly sixty years that Czech scientist and inventor was awarded the No in Chemistry. His main area of work was in polarography. Associate Professor Jiří Barek di chemist’s success and invaluable contribution. You were 10 when Professor Heyrovský received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in How important is the method - dropping mercury electrode electrolysis – for you as a chemi I am one of the vanishing generation of scientists very well aware that our own results we because we were standing on the shoulders of giants like Professor Heyrovský. I was fortun a love for polarography from amazing personalities from the Prague school of polarography Professor Heyrovský himself. I am talking about scientists who worked either in his Instit Chemistry at the Academy of Sciences (now bearing his name), in our Department of Analytic in our UNESCO Laboratory of Environmental Electrochemistry. And although the dropping mercury electrode has been replaced in laboratories by new elect as electroanalytical methods evolve, it is still an amazing tool for studying the properti transformations of new drugs, chemical carcinogens, pesticides, nanomaterials, biomolecule other substances important for human health and environmental protection. It is necessary new electrode materials and electroanalytical methods would not have been with us without work of Professor Heyrovský. The methods and experimental procedures of scientific researc by Heyrovský are still in use in various nanotechnologies, biochemistry and other natural sciences. Heyrovský published his first article about his discoveries in this field in Chemické list Chemistry) in 1922. Why did the award come so late – in 1959? For perspective, Professor Heyrovsky was nominated 18 times: 14 times for chemistry, once three times for physiology and medicine. Usually Nobel Prizes in this field are not awarde There is considerable competition in this field, which is all the more reason to appreciat this award. It is sometimes the case that the exact date of scientific discoveries leading to Nobel Pr pinpoint; was that the case here? It’s wasn’t the case with the discovery of polarography. As it happens, we know the exact birth. Heyrovský came up with the idea that it would be interesting to measure the current mercury dripping into the solution under observation on February 9th, 1922. Because he liv times – when scientists did not have to spend most of their time writing reports, grant ap their billing – he simply borrowed a mirror galvanometer from the Faculty of Mathematics a in the afternoon, measured the dependence of this current on the inserted potential. Later came to be known as a polarogram. He published the measured dependencies in Journal of Che than four months. Heyrovský is said to have been very talented already during his studies. Is there a chance similar such success in the future? It’s possible. That said, I belong to the minority who think that the main mission of our not to educate a ‘select few’ who will then go abroad as soon as possible for better worki and better chances for various awards, but to educate really good professionals within Cze in my opinion, a pyramid can only be as high as is the width of its base. So if we want to direction, we must do everything possible to inspire the most talented young people go to medical and technical sciences. As for chemistry, I would definitely start by improving the quality of chemistry teaching secondary schools, restoring the importance and position of Czech secondary schools focuse once considered world-class in their fields. And maybe I would consider limiting the ‘plan our grant agencies. I am a little worried that today Professor Heyrovský would not even ge measuring mercury dripping into various solutions, although it led to the discovery of pol as it would be difficult for Alexander Fleming to get a grant based upon a promise to forg to discover penicillin. I think that a lot more effort should be taken to make science attractive for young people children’s excitement and interest when my colleagues show them beautiful chemical experim wonder what put out the light by the time these children began to decide what they would s finished school. In your opinion, what were Jaroslav Heyrovský’s greatest qualities and skills? He had the ability to distinguish the essential from the non-essential, which allowed him amazing benefits of the dropping mercury electrode despite the complications of current os caused by the dripping. He had the ability to explain and promote the results of his resea way, and to convince the international scientific community of the practical usability and possibilities of the polarographic method he developed, thereby ensuring its wide practica He did his amazing research not only with his head and hands but with his heart. He was sk and leading a large research team. He was also extraordinary in the way he was committed t Professor Heyrovsky loved his dropping mercury electrode and he was rewarded for his love polarogram curves. Associate Professor Jiří Barek, is an electroanalytical chemist and university professor a and detectors for tracking trace amounts of biologically active organic compounds. After studying chemistry, physics and mathematics at the Faculty of Arts (an independent f at the University College London. In December 1959 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Stock