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I specialize in organic chemistry—the "chemistry of molecules" where carbon, the basic building block of living organisms, plays the leading role. Because molecules are so small, they are naturally invisible. Various molecules are formed at a scale about one-billionth the size of the objects around us. A molecule is a structure in which atoms take on a specific bonding pattern in three-dimensional space; it can be described as the smallest unit that exhibits its own unique properties and functions. Organic molecules that form life are usually composed of a limited set of atoms—hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur—but there are over 100 million registered types alone, and the number of theoretically possible variations is said to be astronomical.

By the way, according to Mehrabian's Rule, the strength of influence humans receive in communication is ranked as 7% verbal information, 38% auditory information, and 55% visual information. Now, molecules, of course, do not speak. It is possible to represent a molecule's three-dimensional structure in a linguistic format that a computer can recognize, but to a human, that is just a string of symbols that evokes no feeling. This means we are left to recognize molecular objects through visual information alone, which is fortunately the most dominant type. However, can we really say that the molecular structures we see with our eyes are correct? As organic chemists, we spend our time staring at molecular structures, so various molecules are like conversation partners to us. Even though only visual information mediates this communication, a nagging thought begins to stir: "Are you really who you say you are?" For example, some of you may have seen so-called molecular structures where element symbols are connected by lines to indicate "bonds," but in reality, there are no sticks between atoms. Nor are there labels for the elements. These are fictions. In fact, the difference between molecules lies only in the probability of the existence of nuclei and electrons, and furthermore, the difference between atoms is simply the number of protons in the nucleus. While an architect can manifest a conceived building before their eyes, the molecular structures we envision in our heads are ultimately far from the actual image—they are things that cannot be perceived by sight. Organic chemistry is a free discipline where one can freely create an almost infinite variety of molecular structures; in other words, it is not about unearthing treasure, but creating it oneself. What do the molecules we believe we have created actually look like? I pursue molecules every day with a feeling akin to a deep, unrequited longing.