万物简史 第143期:基本物质(15)

 　　Because chemists for so long worked in isolation¹, conventions were slow to emerge. Until well into the second half of the century, the formula H2O2 might mean water to one chemist but hydrogen peroxide to another. C2H4 could signify ethylene or marsh² gas. There was hardly a molecule³ that was uniformly represented everywhere.

　　由于化学家们长期在隔绝的环境里工作，形成统一用语的速度很慢。直到19世纪末叶，H2O对一个化学家来说意为水，对另一个化学家来说意为过氧化氢。C2H4可以指乙烯，也可以指沼气。几乎没有哪种分子符号在各地是统一的。

　　化学

　　Scientists also used a bewildering variety of symbols and abbreviations, often self-invented. Sweden’s J.J.Berzelius brought a much-needed measure of order to matters by decreeing that the elements be abbreviated⁴ onthe basis of their Greek or Latin names, which is why the abbreviation for iron is Fe (from the Latin ferrum) and that for silver is Ag (from the Latin argentum ). That so many of the other abbreviations accord withtheir English names (N for nitrogen, O for Oxygen, H for hydrogen, and so on) reflects English’s Latinate nature, not its exalted⁵ status. To indicate the number of atoms in a molecule, Berzelius employed a superscript notation⁶, as in H2O. Later, for no special reason, the fashion became to render the number as subscript: H2O.

　　化学家们还使用各种令人困惑的符号和缩写，常常是自己发明的。瑞典的J.J.伯采留斯发明了一种非常急需的排列方法，规定元素应当依照其希腊文或拉丁文名字加以缩写。这就是为什么铁的缩写是Fe（源自拉丁文ferrum），银的缩写是Ag（源自拉丁文argentum）。许多别的缩写与英文名字一致（氮是N，氧是O，氢是H等等），这反映了英语的拉丁语支性质，并不是因为它的地位高。为了表示分子里的原子数量，伯采留斯使用了一种上标方法，如H2O。后来，也没有特别的理由，大家流行把数字改为下标，如H2O。

1 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

2 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

3 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

4 abbreviated   

adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He abbreviated so much that it was hard to understand his article. 他的文章缩写词使用太多，令人费解。
• The United States of America is commonly abbreviated to U.S.A.. 美利坚合众国常被缩略为U.S.A.。

5 exalted   

adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的

参考例句：

• Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。
• He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。

6 notation   

n.记号法，表示法，注释；[计算机]记法

参考例句：

• Music has a special system of notation.音乐有一套特殊的标记法。
• We shall find it convenient to adopt the following notation.采用下面的记号是方便的。