Chemistry for the 21 st Century

摘要

Are we really in the midst of an intellectual revolution that is as far-reaching as the conceptual change that accompanied the rise of science in the late Renaissance? The editors of this volume think so. Keinan and Schechter have collected papers (mainly presented at the May 1998 celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel and also the 20th anniversary of the Wolf Prize) written by winners of the Wolf and Nobel prizes, in order to provide "readers, new and in the future, with the taste and flavor of the science [chemistry] at the turn of the millennium." However, these editors have chosen a title that promises more than the attainment of the fairly modest goal states. The title of the collection of essays implies that this volume will show what chemistry will become during the 21st century. But if science is, in fact, in the midst of a revolutionary ferment (as the editors suggest0, who can say what chemistry will be like near the end of the 21st century, or even whether what we new call chemistry will then exist?