Essay Reading 83

Alcohol induces superconductivity at an accelerated rate

Wine can help keep conversation flowing at a dinner party.

在晚宴上，葡萄酒可以让谈话顺畅进行。

And now it looks like that wine may aid in materials science as well.

现在看来，葡萄酒也可能有助于材料科学。

Japanese researchers discovered that hot alcoholic beverages induce superconductivity in iron-based compounds.

日本研究人员发现，热酒精饮料能诱发铁基化合物中的超导性。

These compounds can become superconducting by being exposed to oxygen, but it takes months.

这些化合物暴露在氧气中可以变成超导物质，但这需要几个月的时间。

Scientists have been searching for a way to speed that up.

科学家们一直在寻找一种加速这一过程的方法。

So researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science decided to test the reaction with alcohol.

因此，日本国家材料科学研究所的研究人员决定测试酒精的反应。

They put samples of the compounds in red and white wines, beer, sake（日本米酒）, shochu— another Japanese alcohol—and whiskey.

他们在红酒、白酒、啤酒、清酒、烧酒(另一种日本酒)和威士忌中放入化合物样本。

There were controls of water-ethanol（乙醇） mixtures.

对水-乙醇混合物进行了控制。

The samples were heated to 70 degrees Celcius for 24 hours.

样品被加热到70摄氏度24小时。

The water ethanol mixtures didn’t have much of an effect, but the drinks did induce superconductivity—red wine best of all.

水乙醇混合物没有太大的影响，但饮料确实诱发了超导性，其中红酒最好。

The scientists speculate there may be particular elements in red wine that are replacing elements in the iron-based compounds.

科学家们推测，红酒中可能有某种特殊的元素取代了铁基化合物中的元素。

It may be that wine speeds up the supply of oxygen into the samples.

可能是葡萄酒加速了氧气进入样品的速度。

The researchers say the next step is to analyze the beverages to figure out just what’s inducing superconductivity.

研究人员表示，下一步是分析这些饮料，找出是什么导致了超导性。

And maybe sneak a sip in the process.

也许在这个过程中偷偷喝一小口。

文章来源：金山词霸

图片来源：Pexels