金屬有機骨架實驗 開發一種將金屬和有機分子結合在一起的新型分子結構。金屬充當節點，並透過含碳的有機分子連接起來。這些結構內部形成巨大的空隙，氣體和其他物質可以透過這些空隙流通。
Why did the Nobel Committee say they received the prize?
The scientists are responsible for developing a new kind of molecular structure that combined metals and organic molecules. The metals act as nodes and are linked up by organic molecules containing carbon. Large, empty spaces form inside these structures through which gases and other materials can flow through.
Dr. Robson first experimented with metal-organic frameworks in 1989, when he combined copper ions with four-armed molecules, the committee said. The result was a sort of crystal with large cavities, indicating that other molecules might be able to move in and out of the framework easily.
But the structure was unstable and collapsed quickly. That initial experiment was built on by Dr. Kitagawa and Dr. Yaghi, whose work from 1992 to 2003 helped stabilize the framework that Dr. Robson had created, the committee said.
諾貝爾委員會為何稱他們獲獎？
這些科學家負責開發一種將金屬和有機分子結合在一起的新型分子結構。金屬充當節點，並透過含碳的有機分子連接起來。這些結構內部形成巨大的空隙，氣體和其他物質可以透過這些空隙流通。
委員會表示，羅布森博士於1989年首次進行了金屬有機骨架實驗，當時他將銅離子與四臂分子結合在一起。實驗結果形成了一種具有大空腔的晶體，這表明其他分子可能能夠輕鬆地進出該骨架。
但這種結構不穩定，很快就會坍塌。委員會表示，北川博士和矢吉博士在最初的實驗基礎上進行了改進，他們在1992年至2003年期間的工作幫助穩定了羅布森博士創建的骨架。
林克博士將這種結構比喻為《哈利波特》系列中妙麗‧格蘭傑所使用的手提包。這個袋子外表看起來很小，但內部空間卻很大，可以容納更大的東西。
這位科學家的實驗為數千種金屬有機結構的開發奠定了基礎，這些結構在現實世界中有著廣泛的應用，例如捕獲水果釋放的氣體，使其成熟得更慢。
倫敦帝國學院的計算化學家金·傑爾夫斯（Kim Jelfs）表示，這「激發了一個全新的領域」。 「現在有很多人在這個領域工作，」她說。
在化學中，分子會以不可預測的結構排列。傑爾夫斯博士說，科學家們能夠將金屬和有機分子組合成“構建塊”，這樣即使簇的大小發生變化，你仍然可以獲得相同的結構，但內部的空腔更大。
她說，在化學領域，這種程度的控制「一直是個挑戰」。 “所以這也是令人興奮的一部分。”
Dr. Linke likened the structure to the handbag used by the character Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” series. The bag looks small on the outside, but has space on the inside to fit larger stuff.
The scientist’s experiments laid the foundation for the development of thousands of metal-organic structures with many real-world applications, like trapping gas emitted by fruit so it ripens more slowly.
It “has “sparked a whole field,” said Kim Jelfs, a computational chemist at Imperial College London. “There’s an enormous number of people that work in this area now,” she said.
In chemistry, molecules arrange themselves in unpredictable structures. The scientists were able to combine metals and organic molecules as “building blocks,” so that even if the size of the clusters change, you would still get the same structure but with larger cavities inside, Dr. Jelfs said.
That level of control within chemistry has “always been a challenge,” she said. “So that’s part of the excitement.”
