3
P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
Laureates. Excerpts
In our particular case, our daily activity is carried out in the laboratory and we have almost
become used to our imagination being controlled by the laws of physics and chemistry. Although
it is true that they do not prevent us from dreaming about crystal structures and the pathways via
which molecules circulate and react. They do not prevent us from building new molecules that are
not only beautiful, but also functional, without which it would not be possible to understand the
advances made in medicine. One might say that if physics allows us to understand and explain
Nature, chemistry has the ability to create, allowing us to generate previously non-existent
molecules and materials. I would like to convey the idea that chemistry is a branch of
knowledge which is both comprehensive and cross-disciplinary, as it feeds into materials
science, biochemistry, biomedicine and so many other fields. Our ultimate goal is to control
and direct chemical reactions in order to selectively obtain the desired product. In fact, life is
based precisely on this chemical selectivity. Life would thus be the result of a large number of
concatenated chemical reactions. Moreover, and although this idea is sometimes irrationally
repudiated, our deepest emotions and feelings are also the result of the chemical reactions that
occur in the body. However, for chemical reactions to be described as being successful, they must
selectively generate the target molecule. Unfortunately, very few reactions lead solely to the desired
product itself, but rather give rise to other by-products in most cases. So, how can it be that the host
of chemical reactions constantly occurring in living beings happens to do so in such a selective
way? The answer to this question lies in enzymes. These are simply biological catalysts that Nature
has been developing and improving through evolution. Catalysts are responsible for increasing the
rate of chemical reactions and channelling them to obtain the desired product.
(…)
We live in an age dominated by an economy that is at times dehumanizing; making increasingly
greater profits is almost the sole objective, while at the same time demanding short-term results
from education and research without realizing that the path of learning and knowledge generation
is a long one, one which constitutes a journey requiring continuous effort and resources. We must
not forget that the purpose of universities and public research centres is not merely to train sound
technical specialists duly qualified to succeed in their professional careers. What we wish and
pursue is for our young people to receive a well-rounded education as free human beings aware of
their social responsibilities; people convinced that our ultimate goal is to achieve a fairer society
and who know that we have inherited our planet “on loan”, to be passed on to future generations in
optimum condition.
Avelino Corma Canós
—
Prince of Asturias
Award for Technical and
Scientific Research
2014
Excerpt from the speech given on
the occasion of receiving the Prince
of Asturias Award for Technical and
Scientific Research on 24/10/2014.
