SpecialIssue

Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,IChO2021 Japan will
be held remotely.

June

2021
2021.7.25 (Sun) − 8.2 (Mon)
Remote examination on

7.28 (Wed)Dear Students, Mentors, Guests, Distinguished Scholars, Observers, SC Members and Colleagues:W

elcome to the IChO2021 Japan 53rd International Chemistry
Olympiad. I am delighted to serve as the Chair of the Executive
Committee of IChO2021, a very important scientific event especiallyfor students at secondary school level.

This past January, we carefully discussed whether we could holda real or remote Olympiad in 2021. We eventually decided to holda remote Olympiad this summer, owing to the ongoing global
COVID-19 pandemic. The most important priority was to be able toorganize IChO2021 safely and smoothly. Our remote IChO2021 will
be held from 25 July to 2 August, 2021. The three key concerns of theChemistry Olympiad are as follows: (1) The safety of all participants,including secondary school students; (2) Equal opportunity forevery student; and (3) International experiences via competitionand cooperation, despite the Olympiad being held remotely.
I hope you have already visited our website, https://www.icho2021.
org. There you can find our motto for IChO2021, “Chemistry! It’sCool!”, as well as our first Catalyzer newsletter. We are sure that you
can still enjoy chemistry and experience O-Mo-Te-Na-Si during thisremote Olympiad.

The opening ceremony will be held online on our website on 25
July, 2021, and the examination will be conducted in each country
on 28 July. Students will be able to take the examination in theirhome countries. The duration of the examination is five hours. The
examination may start at any time between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm
JST, and each country can decide the starting time that suits them.

After grading is complete, an online closing and award ceremony
will take place on 2 August. Students may attend the ceremony with
their avatars. Medals and the certificates will be sent to participants
via surface mail together with commemorative gifts.

Between the opening and closing ceremonies, Olympiad
participants can enjoy a series of remote events. These include
virtual visits to tourist spots such as Himeji Castle and otherfamous world-heritage temples and shrines in the Kansai region(Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Kobe). Interesting cultural events are alsoplanned, including a visit to a special site at which repair work to anancient Buddha statue is being carried out. Students can take part ina scientific virtual visit to SPring-8, the world’s largest synchrotron
radiation facility. Communications among participating students
are also important. Virtual reality avatars will be available for all
students to enhance their remote communication experiences. We
also plan to make the practical examination available to the generalpublic so they can try their own experiments.
We will make every effort to make our remote
IChO2021 Japan a resounding success. On behalfof the executive committee, I sincerely hope you
all enjoy the Chemistry Olympiad this summer.

Dr. Yoshiki Chujo

Remote Examination FAQ

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IChO2021 Japan will be held remotely. Thesafety of every participant is our first priority. Even though we might be farapart, we still aim to provide special experiences to the participants in July.
Several changes to regulations for the examination are listed below.
For more details, please see website.
Q What are the time zones for the remote IChO?

Q How will be the examination

conducted remotely?

The preparation of the examination(discussions, voting, translation, printing) will
be done using Oly-Exam software. Mentors
will read, comment and vote on, and translate
the examination text using the Oly-Examsoftware.

All dates and times on this document are basedon Japan Standard Time (JST), which is Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC) +9 hours. Japan does not use
daylight saving time during the summer.

Q Where should theexamination be located?

The examination location must be a calm andquiet room with electricity, and equipped with acomputer or smartphone, web camera, microphone,high quality printer, scanner with PDF-conversion
software, and stable internet connection. Eachlocation will be checked via Zoom before theexamination.
A single location for the full number of 4 students
is highly preferred. If legal travel restrictions in thecountry forbid a single location, multiple locations
for one country are acceptable.

Q When is the date for the examination?

The theoretical examination will take place
on 28 July, 2021.
Q How long is the examination?

The duration of the examination is 5 hours. The details of the examinationmust be reported by invigilators. A report form to be completed byinvigilators will be provided with the student examination papers.

Q What help/tools are allowed
for the examination?

Q What is the start time of the examination?

Only a non-programmable calculator, good writing pen and a ruler canbe used during the examination. Students should write their answers
only using a pen with dark ink.

The examination may start at any time between 16:00 and 21:00
JST, and each country can decide its own starting time. However, allcompetitors in each country must have the same examination timetable
to avoid ill-intentioned communication among competitors. Countries
with multiple time zones must set their timetable on the basis of one
specific time zone and conduct the examination accordingly.

Q What are the important dates for the IChO2021?

See the following Table.

Schedule of Remote IChO2021 ( Tentative )Jul 25, Sun
Activity (To be announced)
Activity (To be announced)

Jul 28, Wed

Start remote examination at

Aug 1, Sun
Aug 2, Mon

08:00

Receive the problem

21:00

14:00

08:00

Deadline of feedback

09:00

02:00

20:00

Jury meeting

21:00

14:00

08:00

09:00

02:00

20:00

Deadline of translation

09:00

02:00

20:00

[Invigilator] Receive and print out the problem

14:00

07:00

01:00

Translation/submission
16:00

09:00

03:00

21:00

14:00

08:00

[Invigilator] Submit the solutions (Within one hour after the end of the examination)

Receive the solution and the grading scheme

Jul 29, Thu

Jul 31, Sat

14:00

Receive the authorized problem

Jul 27, Tue

Jul 30, Fri

21:00

Training of Oly-ExamOpening Ceremony (Start time to be determined)

Mentor

09:00

02:00

20:00

09:00

02:00

20:00

21:00

14:00

08:00

09:00

02:00

20:00

09:00

02:00

20:00

21:00

14:00

08:00

Activity (To be announced)
Activity (To be announced)

Receive grading(from Organizer, Request arbitration)

Deadline of request, Jury meeting
Arbitration
America(west)

Asia

EuropeReceive final results
Activity (To be announced)
Closing Ceremony▼▼▼

Jul 26, Mon: EST▼▼▼

Jul 23, Fri

Student: CET▼▼▼

Date: JST

America(east)Seimi-kyoku 舎 密 局seimikyoku

the Origins of Modern Chemistry in JapanD

uring the Edo period (1603 to 1868), when the Tokugawa
shoguns ruled the country, Japan adopted a policy of seclusionand closed its borders to the outside world for more than 250 years;
international trade was allowed only with China (mainly under theQing dynasty) and the Netherlands. Any information on the naturalsciences that emerged in Europe in the early 18th century came only

from the Netherlands through Dejima, a small artificial island in thebay of Nagasaki on the west end of Japan.

Tⓒ Tetsuo Shiba

he first systematic chemistry lectures in Japan were giveningredient Ajinomoto (Catalyzer, No. 6), studied chemistry under

Western medicine in Nagasaki, and after he found that the students

deepened his knowledge by listening to Gratama’s lectures, andby Johannes Lijdius Catharinus Pompe van Meerdervoort,a physician who came to Japan in 1857. Pompe began teachinglacked fundamental knowledge in science, he also started teachinga course in basic science. After Pompe left Japan, Dr Anthonius
Franciscus Bauduin was invited to succeed him, and taught
chemistry as well as medicine. Following Bauduin, the Dutchchemist Koenraad Wolter Gratama was invited to teach in Japan asa specialist in science and chemistry teaching.

In 1867, Gratama was set to be transferred to the Kaiseijo, theshogunate’s Western education and research center locatedin Edo (present-day Tokyo), but this plan was thwarted when theshogunate collapsed during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The newMeiji government, however, established a college called the Seimi-

the tutelage of Jiro Murahashi, Gratama’s assistant at the Seimikyoku. Hiroakira Akashi, who worked at the medical school hospital,
eventually established the Kyoto Seimi-kyoku in his home town

Kyoto, with the support of the Kyoto prefectural government. Genzo

Shimazu, a blacksmith who had been a contractor at the Kyoto Seimi-kyoku, was taught by the German teacher there, and later established
Shimadzu Corporation, the chemical equipment manufacturer(Catalyzer, No. 5). These are just a few examples of the many

students and teachers who received direct or indirect instruction

from foreign teachers and who later drove the development ofmedicine, chemistry, and pharmacy in Japan.

In 1870, Gratama completed his term of office and returned tothe Netherlands the following year. The German chemist Georg

kyoku in Osaka to replace the Kaiseijo, and welcomed Gratama as head

Hermann Ritter was invited to replace him. In 1872 however, all thegovernment’s move to establish the Seimi-kyoku in Osaka is said to have

Seimi-kyoku underwent several organizational and name changes,lecturer there. The word seimi was a transliteration of the Dutch word

chemie, though it is no longer used today. One reason behind the newbeen their initial intention to move the capital from Kyoto to Osaka,rather than to Tokyo. Ultimately, however, the Emperor moved to Edo

Castle where the Tokugawa shogunate was based, after the castle wassurrendered bloodlessly to the new government. Eventually, Edo wasrenamed Tokyo and became the new capital city of Japan.

In 1868, the new Seimi-kyoku (also known as the Osaka Seimi-kyoku) was completed, and Gratama started teaching physics

and chemistry there. Gratama not only taught students, but also

initiated training programs for physics and chemistry teachers. The
following year, a medical schooland hospital were establishednearby,whereBauduin

alsopersonnel and assets of the Seimi-kyoku were transferred to the Tokyo
Kaisei Gakko school, which later became the University of Tokyo. The

finally becoming the Third Higher School in 1889, which would later
be merged into Kyoto University. At the site of the former Osaka
Seimi-kyoku near Osaka Castle, there is a large camphor tree in acorner surrounded by a stone wall that appears to block the walkway,
and at the base of the tree stands a stone pillar and monument that

reads “Site of the Former Seimi-kyoku.” On the reverse side of themonument is a majestic bust of Gratama. Although the Seimi-kyoku

disappeared in the turbulent times for Japanese society in the early
Meiji era, its legacy lives on as the foundationof chemistry in Japan today.

taught. Many students from the
medical school also came to attend

the lectures at the Seimi-kyoku,
among them Jokichi Takamine,
who later became well-known

for his research on adrenaline(Catalyzer, No. 2). Kikunae Ikeda,

Koenraad Wolter Gratama
who discovered the “umami”( 1831-1888 )Currently, there are camphortree, stone monuments, andthe bronze statue of Gratama,
as historic sites.

Element#1TJapanese mineral resources

Au, Ag, and Cu

oday, Japan depends mostly on imports of the mineral

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine

resources it needs, but in the past it used to produce large

amounts of gold, silver, and copper. Marco Polo, the 13th-century
merchant and explorer who travelled throughout Asia, introduced
Japan to Europe as “Japan, Land of Gold” in his travelogue TheAg

Travels of Marco Polo, which later became the driving force foradventurous explorers during the Age of Discovery.

SadoOdaLong ago, gold mines such as those on the island of Sado (partAuKoshu
Niihamaof Niigata prefecture today) and in Koshu (Yamanashi prefecture)Cu

produced significant amounts of gold. In the Edo era, from theKeicho Oban

16th to the 19th centuries, the Tokugawa bakufu (shogunate)

divetobluemarine, CC BY-SA
3.0, via Wikimedia Commonsestablished an official gold guild known as the Kin-za, and goldcoins called Keicho Koban and Oban were issued.

In terms of silver production, one of the major operations
was the Iwami Ginzan silver mine, where production ofsilver continued for approximately 400 years from the 16thcentury. The Iwami Ginzan silver mine was located in what is thecity of Oda in Shimane Prefecture today, and production reached
its peak during the Edo period, when the mine was directly
managed by the bakufu. Production then gradually decreased

until the mine was closed in 1923. The Iwami Ginzan silver minesite was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage (Cultural) Sitein 2007, listed as the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its CulturalLandscape, with special mention made of its environmentallyfriendly operation.

Minetopia Besshi

The Besshi copper mine located in what is the city of Niihama
in Ehime Prefecture, discovered in 1690, produced a total of

700,000 tonnes of copper in 283 years until it was closed in 1973.
The former mine site is now the location of Minetopia Besshi, ahistorical theme park where people can learn how the mine
operated in the olden days.

These five elements spell “OMoTeNaSi”, the Japaneseword for hospitality. It means to wholeheartedly take careof guests without expecting anything in return. Attention
is paid to even the smallest details in order to bringguests the best experience possible. As you make yourway across Japan, you will find omotenasi everywhere.

June 2021SpecialIssue