内容简介
Positionedatthecrossroadsofthephysicalandbiologicalsciences，chemistrydealswithneithertheinfinitelysmall，northeinfinitelylarge，nordirectlywithlife.Soitissometimesthoughtofasdull，thewaythingsinthemiddleoftenare.Butthismiddlegroundispreciselywherehumanbeingsexist.AsHoffmannshowsinhisinspiredprose，theworldobservedatitsmolecularleveliscomplexandagitated，asaretheemotionsofthesupposedlydispassionatescientistswhoexploreit.InTheSameandNottheSamethevitaltensionsofchemistryarerevealed;withdown-to-earthexplanations，Hoffmannuncoversthepolaritiesthatpower，rend，andreformtheworldofmolecules.Whenwewashanapplebeforeeatingit，wearethinkingnotmerelyofthedirtthatmaystillbeonitbutofthepesticidesusedinagriculturalproduction.Whenwetakemedication，weexpectreliefforourpainbutalsofearsideeffects.TheSameandNottheSameshowsthisambivalencetobeonlyoneofanumberofdualitiespervadingtheworldofmolecules.Thethemeofidentity，reflectedinthetitleofthebook，iscentraltothestory.Otherdualities，fromstasisanddynamics，tocreationanddiscoverytotherichcomplexityofrevealingandconcealing，arelucidlydelineatedfornonscientistandscientistalike.TheSameandNottheSamealsooffersarareandcompellingpersonalstatementofthesocialresponsibilityofscientists.Unabashedlyconfrontingsomeofthemajorethicalcontroversiesinchemistrytoday，thebookstrivesforbalanceinfacingthepressingecologicalandenvironmentalconcernsofourtime.
作者简介
RoaldHoffmannwasborninZloczow,Poland,in1937.HavingsurvivedtheNazioccupation,hearrivedintheU.S.in1949,afterseveralyearsofpost-warwanderinginEurope.HegraduatedfromStuyvesantHighSchool,ColumbiaUniversity,andproceededtotakehisPh.D.in1962,atHarvardUniversity,workingwithW.N.LipscombandMartinGouterman.Dr.HoffmannstayedonatHarvardUniversityfrom1962-1965,asaJuniorFellowintheSocietyofFellows.Since1965,hehasbeenatCornellUniversity,whereheisnowtheFrankH.T.RhodesProfessorofHumaneLettersEmeritus.ProfessorHoffmannisamemberoftheNationalAcademyofSciences,TheAmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences,andtheAmericanPhilosophicalSociety.HehasbeenelectedaForeignMemberoftheRoyalSociety,theIndianNationalScienceAcademy,theRoyalSwedishAcademyofSciences,theFinnishSocietyofSciencesandLetters,theRussianAcademyofSciences,theNordrhein-WestfällischeAcademyofSciences,andtheLeopoldina.Hehasreceivednumeroushonors,includingovertwenty-fivehonorarydegrees.HeistheonlypersonevertohavereceivedtheAmericanChemicalSociety'sawardsinthreedifferentspecificsubfieldsofchemistry—theA.C.CopeAwardinOrganicChemistry,theAwardinInorganicChemistry,andthePimentelAwardinChemicalEducation.AswellastwootherACSawards.In1981,hesharedtheNobelPrizeinChemistrywithKenichiFukui."Appliedtheoreticalchemistry"isthewayRoaldHoffmannlikestocharacterizetheparticularblendofcomputationsstimulatedbyexperimentandtheconstructionofgeneralizedmodels,offrameworksforunderstanding,thatishiscontributiontochemistry.Inmorethan500scientificarticlesandtwobookshehastaughtthechemicalcommunitynewandusefulwaystolookatthegeometryandreactivityofmolecules,fromorganicthroughinorganictoinfinitelyextendedstructures.Dr.Hoffmannparticipatedintheproductionofatelevisioncourseaboutchemistry."TheWorldofChemistry"isaseriesof26half-hourprogramsdevelopedattheUniversityofMarylandandproducedbyRichardThomas.Dr.HoffmannisthePresenterfortheseries,whichhasbeenairedonPBSbeginningin1990,andhasbeenshownwidelyabroad.RoaldHoffmannhasalsowrittenpopularandscholarlyarticlesonscienceandothersubjects.Hispoetryhasappearedinvariousliterarymagazines.Twocollections,entitled"TheMetamictState"(1987)and"GapsandVerges"(1990),werepublishedbytheUniversityofFloridaPress;"MemoryEffects,"waspublishedin1999bytheCalhounPressofColumbiaCollege,Chicago.Attheendof2002twopoetrycollectionswerepublishedbyRoaldHoffmann,"Soliton,"byTrumanStateUniversityPress,andvolumeofselectedpoemstranslatedintoSpanish,"Catalísta.",,
