CATALYZER2 THE SECOND ISSUE OF CATALYZER MAGAZINE 20/07/2018

BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN PRAGUE © UCT

The beginning pate in the Chemistry Olympiad. summer holiday before the fi rst idea came to our minds some- When I was born, IChO had I have kept my solution till this university year, I left for Moscow time around IChO in Washington. celebrated its tenth anniversary. very day; I was especially proud to take part in the following run The 50th year was approaching, When I started going to school, I of the equation of thermal of IChO. And it was a success: so why not try to host it together, liked numbers. Later, we started decomposition of potassium I won the silver medal! both in the and to use letters in their place more permanganate. I think I ranked ? At the beginning, we often and sometimes even the second in the regional round. By A friend discussed it only between the weird, Greek, ones. Then wires the fi rst day of high school, I’d During the following years, two of us. We revealed our idea came into the mix, along with already been hooked. I wrote, reviewed, and tested to the others and they supported everything else that spins, gives problems; I organized summer us: “Go for it!” they said. So we warmth, or shines. We would Contact camps enthusiastically, pre- presented the idea offi cially in talk about gases and liquids, but Another key moment occurred in pared our students and proudly Hanoi. also planets and black holes. the fi rst year of high school. My watched them return with However, when I fi rst heard classmate talked me into com- medals. I became the mentor Joy about atoms and molecules in ing to the Chemistry Olympiad of the Czech team for the fi rst Everything gained momentum the seventh grade, it was love camp in Běstvina. I spent four- time 13 years ago at IChO in quickly. We had to fi nd fi nanc- at fi rst sight! Not only would we teen days among cabins, test Taipei. And I saw the back- ing, enthusiasts, and time. First talk about molecules, but we tubes, and freaks like me. And ground of the whole event. How Baku, then a last-minute change would also go to the lab. And I learned that the top students much eff ort, time, and money it from Karachi to Tbilisi, Bangkok, that teacher’s offi ce! A magical from the oldest age category required. Then, a fateful encoun- and now we’re here: Bratislava scent of a mix of halogens and would participate in the Inter- ter occurred. A year later, in and—after fi fty long years—back organic substances, cases and national Chemistry Olympiad Gyeongsang, South , I met to where it all began: Prague! shelves with an infi nite number in Perugia, Italy! I started to Martin from Slovakia. Enjoy it with us. of fl asks with mysterious names grow fond of it even more. Two on them. years later, I ranked just below A dream Petr Holzhauser The following year, my teacher the threshold of participation in Years and years went by and we President IChO 2018, Czech Republic suggested that I should partici- IChO in Beijing, but during the would only meet at IChO. A crazy (On photo: Bottom row, 2nd from left) INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD MAGAZINE / SLOVAKIA & CZECH REPUBLIC, 2018 © T. BELLOŇ © T.

Guides eagerly awaiting the arrival of your teams. Sign up and get ready for the adventure!

Vienna International Airport, one of the gates to IChO 2018. First teams are coming. © IC h O TEAM

Welcome on board! We are delighted to meet you and ready to answer all of your questions.

© T. BELLOŇ © T. DAY No. 1 © IC h O TEAM © IC h O TEAM

Off the plane and on the bus! Just a few more days until the moment Your new home for the next few days. Please make yourself comfort- you have been preparing months for. able. Good night.

PAGE 2–3 Interview with President IChO 2018, Slovakia, Martin Putala NEVER FORGET What is the diff erence between the Olym- piad you attended as a student and the recent Olympiads? Attending IChO myself was an exciting experience for me—I got to meet a lot of like-minded people. Even though the times TO HAVE FUN have changed, the main idea remains.

Why is this year's IChO taking place in both Slovakia and Czechia? Since the very fi rst IChO took place in in 1968, the Czech Republic and Slovakia decided to go back to where it all began and banded together for organis- ing the 50th anniversary of IChO in Prague and Bratislava.

What are the advantages and disadvantag- es of this collaboration? By cooperating with Czechia, we have had a great chance to distribute the workload evenly and be way more effi cient than we would be by ourselves. Nevertheless, there were some disadvantages. In particular, we Martin Putala, President IChO 2018 (left) BELLOŇ © T. had to travel 250km between Prague and Bratislava at least once a month. the fi rst idea came from Anton Sirota (a tion of laboratories and other unexpected How many people are participating in former President of the Slovak Chemistry expenses increased the budget to two organising IChO? Olympiad). The whole project took more million . Both countries agreed to There are around 200 team members: 90 than two years of active preparation and contribute one-to-one. guides, 60 lab assistants, and 20 authors hard work. (10 from each organising country). What message would you like to share with What are the costs of IChO 2018? the students? Since when was the idea on the table? Originally it was estimated to cost around Follow your dreams, work on them, and To be honest, I don't remember. However, 1.3 million euros. However, the reconstruc- never forget to have fun. IN YOUR WORDS

Sebastián Artem Yanchak Solís-Vargas Anh Duc Pham Costa Rica Vietnam

How was your journey? How was your journey? How long have you been preparing for We fl ew from Kiev and the fl ight was sup- First, we took a fl ight to Madrid that lasted IChO 2018? posed to take about 2 hours. The fl ight was 10 hours. In Madrid we were waiting for We had intensive team preparation for the amazing: no turbulence, no wind. 5 hours for the next three-hour fl ight to last 3 months. Vienna. We arrived yesterday, so we had How long have you been preparing for an opportunity to enjoy the city of Vienna. Do you have any experience or knowledge IChO 2018? about the Czech Republic and Slovakia? The issue is what we consider preparation How long have you been preparing for I admire local architecture (castles) and for the Olympiad. If we consider prepara- IChO 2018? nature. tion directly for the Olympiad, it's about We have been preparing for IChO 2018 one year, but generally it took a lot more. since January; however, we participated in What are you looking forward to? Any other events, so in total it has been about message you would like to share? Do you have any experience or knowledge 2 years. I hope it will be a really special event and about the Czech Republic and Slovakia? I am looking forward to meeting local peo- I have some memories of coming to Slova- Do you have any experience or knowledge ple. I know you are very kind and thus you kia to ski in the High Tatras. But it was just about the Czech Republic and Slovakia? have a huge Vietnamese community. a brief experience. I know Prague, it is an amazing city. CATALYZER2 INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD MAGAZINE / SLOVAKIA & CZECH REPUBLIC, 2018

ESTONIA KYRGYZSTAN

1 Illustrating here the Kaera-Jaan national dance. 1 Showing us their skills in a national dance called 2 Common stereotype: Very slow. National : Sauer- Kara Jorgo. kraut and potatoes. 2 We are hosting the World Nomad Games in September. IChO NATIONAL TEAMS

RUSSIA UZBEKISTAN

1 We are having fun :-). 1 Look at us! We are tough guys :-). 2 Three times as many bridges 2 We have the best taxi drivers. in St. Petersburg as in Venice.

PAGE 4–5 COSTA RICA TURKMENISTAN

1 It's not just a bird, it is Rafi ta. 1 Throwing tahya caps into the air. Tahya caps are a head 2 It may surprise you that we do not have an army decoration in traditional Turkmen dress. in Costa Rica. 2 Gates of Hell: A natural gas fi eld collapsed into an underground cavern.

1 We asked teams to snap an original, fun photo and explain it. We also asked: What's something about your country others 2 usually do not know?

PORTUGAL PHILIPPINES

1 Imitating their national hero, Ronaldo. 1 Pretending to be confused. 2 Our ancestors discovered India. 2 The Philippines has over 7,000 islands.

CATALYZER2 INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD MAGAZINE / SLOVAKIA & CZECH REPUBLIC, 2018

The Slovak Republic was established on 1st January 1993 by peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. It is a landlocked country located in the heart of Europe. After joining the , the country adopted the currency. Despite the small size of the country, it is rich in history, world cultural and natural heritage, and living traditions. WHAT YOU (PROBABLY) DON'T KNOW ABOUT SLOVAKIA

GEOGRAPHIC MIDPOINT OF EUROPE UNIQUE NATURE has a unique story. Čachtice Castle is known They don't say Slovakia is the heart of Slovakia can be characterized as a land of thanks to the “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Europe just for nothing. Right next to the mountains and forests (41% of the country's Báthory, who allegedly killed more than 600 Church of St. John the Baptist near Krem- area is forests), which have served as iso- virgins and took baths in their blood to stay nické Bane in central Slovakia, there is lating barriers against modernization and young forever. Among other known castles a stone marking the geographic midpoint of centralization for centuries, thus helping to is Spiš Castle, the largest medieval castle Europe. preserve regional traditions and identities. site in . See pages 8 and 9 In addition, the mountains and forests for infographic on medieval castles. 1 are protected by nine national parks and fourteen landscape parks. Among the best THE TALLEST ALTAR IN THE WORLD known of them are High Tatras, Low Tatras, It took ten years of work and not a single Malá Fatra, Veľká Fatra, Slovenský kras, and nail for Master Paul of Levoča to make the Slovenský raj. gothic altar out of linden wood. You can find it in the Basilica of St. James which is, need- LINDEN TREE OF KING MATTHIAS less to say, in Levoča. It is 18.6 meters high. The linden tree is the tree of . Linden wood was said to have magical powers, RESERVATIONS OF FOLK ARCHITECTURE used mainly against demons and vampires. (2) The picturesque village of Čičmany holds The Linden Tree of King Matthias is one of the title of the first Reservation of Folk the oldest linden trees in Slovakia and in Architecture in the world. It is known for Europe. According to a legend, it was plant- its traditional wooden houses whose walls

© WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ed by “Lord of Váh and Tatras” Matúš Čák of are hand-painted with white geometrical Trenčín in c. 1301. In the fifteenth century, shapes. this place was regularly visited by Hungar- 2 ian King Matthias, who organized meetings ROCK DWELLINGS and dinner parties under this linden tree. In Would you think they still live in “caves” in its best times, the tree measured 30 meters Slovakia? The village of Brhlovce is home to in height, 12.5 meters in circumference, and unique houses carved into rock. The story 36 meters in the diameter of its crown. goes that the first such dwellings already came into existence in the sixteenth century. MORE THAN 1,600 MINERAL SPRINGS There was not enough money to build hous- Slovakia has many sources of mineral water es, so they carved them into nearby rocks. and as well as hot springs, which are mainly used for therapeutic and recreational pur- FUJARA, MUSIC OF TERCHOVÁ, poses in twenty-one spas. While they're con- BAGPIPE CULTURE sidered a luxury in several countries, spas (3) What do the only musical instrument of and water parks are easily accessible in its kind, world famous Slovak regional folk

© WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Slovakia, thanks to their long tradition. Even music, and the tradition of playing bagpipes Ludwig van Beethoven took to the waters in have in common? They’re all inscribed in Piešťany in western Slovakia. UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. 3 THE OLDEST AND LARGEST OPAL THE OLDEST OPERATING BUSINESS MINES IN THE WORLD The Mint was founded in 1328 and Nowhere in the world has opal been mined has been producing the world's top minting as long and in such an amount as in Slova- products ever since, for almost seven cen- kia. The largest piece of opal named Harle- turies. , or ducats, began to be minted kýn comes from here. It weighs 607 grams here by coining 23-carat and 9-grain gold. and is worth half a million dollars. These All Kremnica ducats can be distinguished gems were also worn by Napoleon's family. by their high levels of gold stability and fineness, which is why they were considered CASTLE AND CHÂTEAUX SUPERPOWER to be the strongest currency of the medieval (1) With 180 castles and 425 châteaux, Slo- Central Europe. vakia is the world leader in number of cas- Julián Vrábel

© K. BLACHNICKY © K. tles and châteaux per capita. Each of them Henrieta Stankovičová

PAGE 6–7 SLOVAK The traditional basic components of the Slovak diet are , potatoes, and . © 123RF

Due to a common past, is clo- oversalted meat caused a cumulative thirst; However, hunger reached such dramat- sely linked to Hungarian, Czech, and Austri- servants in the imperial court—in addition ic proportions that people were forced an cuisine. Other factors have also affected to wine—received two liters of beer per to accept potatoes. Hunger was a more it: Turkish ingredients and recipes; German, day. Moreover, beer was a Lenten drink convincing argument than the punishment Italian, Bosnian, and ; and and, unlike wine, could be consumed during of fourty blows of the cane for peasants who the imperial court was well-known for its times of strict fasting. Eating habits began refused to plant potatoes. The consumption Spanish etiquette and food. It is not possible to change over time; hard-working people, of potatoes, , , and corn gradually to circumvent or Polish Goral in particular, needed strength before going increased. Potatoes are now considered to and Ruthenian influences. Of , this to work. In our environment, both adults and be a Slovak ethno-identifying food. statement has nothing to do with the food children consumed with warm beer historically eaten by the poor, but can be in the morning. Beer was often flavoured, Since that time, the traditional basic compo- applied to consumed by members of so beer appeared. Various pulps, thick nents of the Slovak diet are milk, potatoes, the middle and upper classes. with , beans and broths and cabbage. were added to bread and beer, which we Our current Central European standard is would call a “snack soup” today. Milk is drunk fresh or sour, and all milk expressed by our five a day: break- products such as whey, cottage , fast, , dinner, with supper and snacks For dinner, women prepared hot dishes, bryndza (salted sheep curd), and sheep between them. There is usually a hot drink especially legume , milled cereals, cheese are very popular. (, cocoa, coffee), , cereals, and various soups; the upper class also and pastries with a garnish, or fruit cake ate roast or stewed meats with , The most typical Slovak national meals with butter, or jam at the beginning poultry, fish, game, , savoury and use bryndza as main ingredient: bryndzové of the day. Hot cooked meals—soup, a main sweet puddings (flavoured with honey or halušky ( made of potato , and a dessert—are served for lunch fruit jams), vegetables, fruit—and bread, of mixed with a special kind of soft and salty and dinner, which can also be warm, or course. sheep curd and with fried chopped in there can be some form of cold buffet. tiny pieces or chives) and bryndzové pirohy From time immemorial, people have distin- (potato dough filled with bryndza). Among Habits were once different, however. Five guished between two types of bread: dark the traditional domestic dishes are various hundred years ago, people ate twice a day. and white. Wheat bread was light and rye meals prepared with potatoes. They are The first meal of the day was consumed bread, or bread made from other cereals, mostly in the form of cooked or fried dough before noon, and the second meal after was dark. Dark bread belonged to the peas- (zemiakové placky, lokše). dark. The first meal used to be cold: people ants and the poor, while white bread was ate bread, and only those who could afford consumed by the nobility. Bread was sold in A good Slovak dinner starts with a soup: it. They also ate cheeses, , meat the markets. Dark bread used to be stored kapustnica (made from cabbage, spring from the previous day; vegetables, and in a dark mat on the ground; white bread mushrooms, smoked meat; some regions seasonal fruit. Cold, boiled, or roasted meat and pastries were stacked on desks. even use potatoes, dried plums, or pasta), was complemented with , popular soup (in some places, it is served in grated horseradish with apples, and pick- At the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth a bread loaf), bean soup with a frankfurter, les. Few could afford fresh meat. Meat was centuries, in the context of new growing or or chicken consommé. kept fresh by smoking, salting, or drying, so crops, a big change occurred. The expansion thirst was much stronger than today. It is of potato cultivation was promoted by Maria Domestic soft drinks such as Vinea (grape said that beer is our bread, and back then, Theresa, but the nobility constantly bumped lemonade) and Kofola (cola-type drink), and it truly was, because beer consumption into resistance. The reason was prosaic. a wide choice of fine quality mineral waters, was perhaps up to ten times higher than People respected food closest to heaven now compete with international soft drink today. There were several reasons for this: the most: fruits and birds. What was grown brands. water quality was poor, causing disease; underground carried with it the scent of hell. Julián Vrábel, Henrieta Stankovičová CATALYZER2 INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD MAGAZINE / SLOVAKIA & CZECH REPUBLIC, 2018

PAGE 8–9 © T. BELLOŇ © T. CATALYZER2

INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD MAGAZINE / SLOVAKIA & CZECH REPUBLIC, 2018 PORCANES For decades, chemists have been fascinated by carbon's ability to form chains and create unique structures. This was proven again in 2016, when the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded for the design and synthesis of molecular switches, pumps, and nanocars.

Let us have a look at a group of might feel ashamed that their especially peculiar molecules: pride limps on one leg; howev- porcanes. In this field, Czechs er, the theory with pentavalent have played a crucial role. They carbon limps on both legs. were the first to decode the The question of the absolute messages of our ancestors configuration of norporcane hidden in cave paintings and comes up immediately as an 1 2 written on country house walls imminent issue. Assuming that and to bring porcanes into the the structure is able to move, daylight. By doing this, they laid it is far more probable that the the grounds of porcane chemis- actual structure of norporcane try. Moreover, they co-founded is described by equilibrium (3). 3 the World Council of Porcane Chemistry (WCPC). Aminoacid porcine (4) is also worth noting. This non-coded It is fair to admit that the struc- amino acid was given the abbre- ture of porcane (1) is somewhat viation Por and it might be a val- problematic. No doubt that the uable scaffold for the synthesis weakest point in its structure is of series of synthetic peptides the presence of a pentavalent with interesting properties. 4 carbon atom. Therefore, Trademarks “Fivebabypigs” for throughout time, even the linear pentapeptide Por-Por- strongest supporters came to Por-Por-Por and “Tentabypigs” and research will start as soon you can prepare your own por- the conclusion that the proposed for decapeptide Por-Por-Por- as some grant agency is brave canes at home in the meantime. structure of porcane is nonsense Por-Por-Por-Por-Por-Por-Por enough to fund it. While it may You simply need a sheet of and that the published structure have been already registered. take a while for grant agencies paper and a set of pencils and is actually norporcane (2). The All experiments have been to recognize the importance and crayons. authors of the porcane structure carefully designed and planned, relevance of porcane research, Petra Ménová

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