What are some stereotypes surrounding chemistry that you would like to dispel? 想為一些關於化學的誤解澄清嗎？ Samuel I do organic chemistry and it really pains me when I hear people misuse the term “organic.” Some food labels might say, “Oh, we're from an organic farm, very healthy. We don't use fertilizers.” The term is almost always coupled with the statement that “We don't have chemicals in it,” which is purely insane. The word “organic” in organic chemistry doesn’t mean that you use natural things but stands for the chemistry surrounding the element carbon. There can’t be a lack of chemicals in anything because a lack of chemicals would mean a lack of, basically, existence. So, that's a common misuse of the word. 我從事有機化學，因此聽到人們亂用「有機」一詞會令我感到痛心。有些食物標籤會說：「您知道嗎？我 們來自有機農場，非常健康。我們不使用化學肥料。」這個詞語幾乎代表「我們不含化學物質」─ 完全荒謬的 一句話。有機化學中「有機」並不代表使用天然物質，而是指圍繞碳元素的化學。任何東西都不能缺乏化學 物質，因為缺乏化學物質基本上就代表不存在。這是一個常見的誤用。 Abigail There’s a stereotype about chemistry majors being somewhat “nerdy.” I did meet a high percentage of people being very smart and hardworking. They could concentrate on one thing and really loved it enough that they wanted to do it 24 hours. I'm the kind of person who cares much about work-life balance, so I once feel like maybe people like me won't be a good candidate for doing research, or for working in science. But later I found that it's not true; all kinds of people can do research. 其中一個刻板印象是認為讀化學的人有點「書呆子」。我確實遇過很多非常聰明和努力的人，他們能專注 於一件事，並熱愛到可以從事24小時不止息的程度。然而我是那種非常重視工作和生活平衡的人，所以懷疑 過像自己這樣的人是否不適合做研究，或從事與科學相關的工作，但後來我發現並不是這樣的，各種各樣的 人也可以從事研究。 Ho Nam People often think chemistry is only about organic synthesis or making drugs. They watch TV series like Breaking Bad and ask if we can actually “cook” like that in an RV. The reality is very different. The necessary precursors are government-restricted, and the solvents involved are incredibly toxic. We perform organic synthesis inside high-tech fume hoods for a reason. It is dangerous and should never be attempted at home. Meanwhile, chemists also make instruments and materials. When you learn more, you will also find that chemistry is actually intertwined with physics and biology. They are all inseparable. 人們常常認為化學只是關於有機合成或製藥，他們看完《絕命毒師》（Breaking Bad）等電視劇後會問 我們是否真的能在露營車裡製毒，但現實卻大相徑庭：製毒所需的原材料受政府嚴密監管，所涉及的溶劑也 毒性無比。我們在設計精密的通風櫃裡進行有機合成是有原因的，因此那很危險，絕對不應在家嘗試。 與此同時，化學家還製造儀器和材料。當你對化學了解更深，你還會發現它實際上與物理和生物密不可分。
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