Journal of the 39th International Chemistry Olympiad Moscow Russia
Issue no.9 Sunday 22 July 2007

Your words, your thoughts...

people such as Markovnikov were the membersof MSU. It makes me think that MSU is one of
the most important places of chemistry researchin the world.

Here are the most interesting answers fromyour questionnaries. Read, laugh and think... Shaina Khan, Pakistan. In my opinion, poverty
Giah Hung Lee, Malaysia. I would like to visit London
and to go to the match at Wimbledon. It is my dream.
Aminatul Munirah Kasim, Malaysia. Unity, education
are the most important problems of the world. I want totake part in improving of the world’s education because I
feel it is the way of solving all the problems.
Zamirbek Akimbekov, Kyrgyzstan. I really like footballand history. I have been a fan of Spartak Moscow FC (Russian football team) for 8 years.
Arguroula Lavi, Greece. Solving problems offers you theability to be an active member of the society and I want tobe an active member of the society. One of the problems of mycountry is unemployment and I don’t think I am able to help.
Karolis Leonavicius, Lithuania. I began to study chemistry thanks to pyrotechnic textbooks.
The events like the Olympiad teach tolerance.
I would like to visit Novosibirsk (the city of Russia) because it’s probably the most peaceful place I know.
Pablo Gustavo Levrand, Argentina. I understood thatchemistry was interesting for me when I felt that I was able
to produce chemical reactions and interpret properties.
It was a very nice surprise for me to know that famousis the most urgent problem because poverty isthe root of many evils. I want to help in solving healthcare problems in my country. Perhaps,I will join an agency or organisation providing
free healthcare facilities.
Boris Fackovich, Slovakia. The Olympiad helps
to work under stress and manage the stress.
We aren’t allowed to see Lenin.
Krzylszof Kosinski, Poland. Three years ago mychemistry teacher allowed me to carry out arbitrary experiments during the class. I tried to figure out how to make black powder and this got
me hooked.
I would like to see AN – 225 “Mriya” (the biggest airplane in the world).
Sabyrbek Zheentaev, Kyrgyzstan. The main
problem of the world is coldness of people.
Joaquin Grassi, Urugway. I would like to go to
Chernobyl because of the disaster that was there.
In yesterday’s number, on the third page we’ve made an awful mistake. We have written that Portugal is Spanish-speaking country. Of course, it is Portuguese-speaking country.
Please, take our official apologize. Maria Nefedieva

Lessons in Russian
Friend – друг [drug]
Friendship – дружба [druzhba]
Victory – победа [pobeda]
Game – игра [igra]
Kiss – поцелуй [potseluj]

Flowers - цветы [tsveti:]
Weather – погода [pogoda]
Sun – солнце [sontse]
Moon – луна [luna]Rain – дождь [dozhd]

Call

Tomorrow program Monday July 23thPolice - 02
Fire station and ambulance - 911
39th IChO office (for urgent calls only):
Alexander Gladilin +7 (916) 555 - 70 - 27
Vadim Eremin +7 (916) 611 - 88 - 90
Elena Eremina +7 (916) 133 - 00 - 55
Mentor Support:
Alexander Veresov +7 (910) 452 - 41 - 23
Student support:
Ekaterina Yakubovich +7 (916) 676 - 91 - 00
Guest support:
Alexandra (Shura) Prokhorova +7 (916) 587 - 60-26

7.00 – 9.00 Breakfast, Olympiets
9.00 – 12.00 Free time
12.00 – 12.30 Lunch, Olympiets
12.40 – Buses depart to the Closing Ceremony
15.00 – 17.00 Closing Ceremony
17.00 – 18.30 Walk-around MSU Campus
18.30 – Buses depart to the Farewell Banquet
19.00 – 23.00 Farewell Banquet, Russian Academy of Sciences
23.00 Transfer to Olympiets

The issue is prepared by:

Call

Head of the project: Lukichev Alexander // Project managers: Salynkina Irina, Galieva Alina // Correspondents: Agaeva Aysel, Bredina Ekaterina,
Davydova Katya, Eremina Maria, Kravtsova Anastasia, Pomerantseva Anna, Sabanova Alina, Nefedieva Maria // Correctors: Anna Berkovich,
Sergey Sobolev, Yulia Valeeva // Photographer: Lobus Alexander // Designers: Turin Vadim, Lukichev Ilya
Published and printed by Trace light studio ltd // Call us: +7 (495) 939-26-66 // E-mail: luk-mail@mail.ru

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Journal of the 39th International Chemistry Olympiad Moscow Russia
Issue no.9 Sunday 22 July 2007

Matryoshka
Is it easy to paint matryoshka?
Lucie, Switzerland. No, not really. You have to paint exactly and look that the color is everywhere the same. That’s
a very good idea to make such an event.
Hubert, Austria. The way I’m doing it is quite easy but if
you want to make it really perfect it is rather difficult.
Max, Switzerland. It needs a lot of patience to paint thesematryoshkas. I’m not so patient, but I like to do it.
Ivana, Croatia. I like it a lot. I like drawing anytime. It isdifficult to draw matroshka but I actually like it because it is difficult. And when I will finish it I’m going to be very happy.
About Russian symbol – matryoshkaMiha, Slovenia. It is something that represents Russian
life. It is very important symbol.
Ivana, Croatia. It is excellent. I like it and it is nice thata big one contains the little one, the little one and the little
one… There can be fifty pieces and even more and that isreally cool.
Christian Olvin, Netherlands. It is a first time I see a matryoshka and the first time I paint it. It is very interestingfor me. I have painted a lot before with markers, but it isreally hard to paint matryoshka.
About the trip to Sergiev Posad and the greatest

impressions
Ian, Croatia. Today it was really interesting. I like painting matryoshkas the most, because we could express yourself. Sergiev Posad I found absolutely amazing because of
the monastery and the nature.
Ivan, Croatia. I enjoy trip to Serfiev Posad very much, I
enjoy painting babushkas (matryoshkas – edit.), the monastery is absolutely wonderful. I’m really-really impressed.
The churches are also very beautiful and interesting. And I
like local food very much.
Ivana, Croatia. I like restaurant very much. It was decorated nicely. It is really Russian. Waitresses in the nationaldresses are really nice. I like it.
Lucie, Switzerland. It was quite interesting to see. Monastery is very amazing. It is different religion and it is always interesting.
About souvenirs that they have bought
In the end of the trip students had free time and all of themrushed to buy souvenirs. The most popular souvenir was, ofcourse, matryoshka. Also they bought a lot of wood whistles. AGreece team was very interesting in fur winter hats, they weretrying it on very long time and finally bought it. Is it very interesting whether they will have a chance to wear hat in theircountry? But may be they purchased because they wanted tocome back in Moscow again and saw a real Russian winter!
Katya Davydova

Journal of the 39th International Chemistry Olympiad Moscow Russia
Issue no.9 Sunday 22 July 2007

A few words from mentors

Kurt B. Nielsen
Head mentor, Denmark
Maurice Cosandey,Mentor, Swizerland
It’s the twentieth time I’m taking partin this Olympiad. It is one of the bestorganized conferences in response tothe schedule: we always have enoughtime for everything. It is remarkably
scheduled - even if we don’t havemore time than we need, we always
have enough. The most difficult wasthe translation day. The level of thetasks is too high, from my viewpoint.

I hope we’ll get some medals, but I’m
not sure - the level of chemistry in mycountry is not very high. It was a very
long competition – lots of theoreticalquestions: 60 questions for only 5 hours!
Lots of things to do in practice.. But it
was a straight fight. Very good students
have taken part. And on Monday we willsee who is the best this year.
But this competition is not only for medals. You also meet new people, newfriends, get together, learn new things
about chemistry.
And I really like Moscow. I was here in
1996 for IChO and in December last year
as a Member of Steering Committee. I
am a fan of old town: Kremlin, Diamond
Room – I find them wonderful! Nice hotel, nice food, everything is good!

Moris S.Eisen
Mentor, Israel
It’s a wonderful opportunity for meand for kids learning chemistry tobe among the best kids in the world.
The practical part was a little moredifficult than theoretical. We had notime to give them our experience.
And I like Moscow, I like Sergiev
Posad with beautiful monastery that
we have seen today.

Jung Hag Park
Head mentor, Korea Republic

Darko Dolenc
Head Mentor, Slovenia

Hopefully we’ll get four gold medals
and will show the better results thanlast year (3 gold and one silver)! Thisyear we had very good tasks – practical and theoretical – may be a little
bit difficult for students. But we weretraining our students very hard duringtwo weeks, selecting four best students from 5000 participants of National Olympiad. Here - in Moscow– they are a little bit tired after a longdistance, but they are cheerful and enjoy this competition!

Everything was organized OK. The
level of tasks is very high. Our students didn’t do practical tasks well- it required other skills than ourstudents have. But the main goal isto get together. We know each othervery well for a long time, we meet
our friends, and we see new countries, new cities. This year we are inMoscow. I like this city - 10 years
ago it was a dark, now it is alive!
Maria Kokhanova,
Maria Nefedieva

German Wolfgang Hample
Mentor, Germany
I see some problems with the tasks:
they were very long and ambitious.
It’s too difficult to solve such number of theoretical problems in such
short time (5 minutes per question).
Practical tasks seem to be OK. No
one can give you the answer who thewinner is – Monday will.

Answer. The hedgehog with an apple is not an imagination of the artist. It is thefact noticed in nature. Usually this question is answered in that way: the hedgehog bears an apple to a hole to eat and make preparations for winter. But thenthere are other questions: how does it remove this apple? What for does it needpreparation for winter if it runs into hibernation? And the main thing - the hedgehog is a predator, apples are not its meal. So what for does the hedgehog bear anapple on needles? The answer to this question was found by biologists from theMoscow State University many years ago. The apple for the hedgehog is all thesame that soap for us. Organic acids and liquid products of rotting of an apple thatsmell sharply, expel from a leather of the hedgehog different parasites, ticks forexample. In fact the hedgehog cannot lick itself, as cat can.
Question. Probably, you remember a picture from the first children’s books
on which the hedgehog bearing apple on the needles is drawn. And here is thequestion – why does the hedgehog need an apple? Why does it bear it?

The hedgehog and an apple

Use your brain

Relax!
Journal of the 39th International Chemistry Olympiad Moscow Russia
Issue no.9 Sunday 22 July 2007