Koichi Tanaka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Koichi Tanaka
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Koizumi Cabinet E-mail Magazine, No.81, February 6, 2003.
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| Born | 3 August 1959 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Tohoku University |
| Known for | Soft laser desorption |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2002) Order of Culture (2002) Person of Cultural Merit (2002) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical Engineering, chemistry |
| Institutions | Shimadzu Corporation |
Koichi Tanaka (田中 耕一, Tanaka Kōichi, born August 3, 1959) is a Japanese electrical engineer. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. He shared the prize with John Bennett Fenn and Kurt Wüthrich. Tanaka was honored for creating a new way to study large biological molecules using a method called mass spectrometry.
Contents
Koichi Tanaka: Early Life and Learning
Koichi Tanaka was born in Toyama, Japan, on August 3, 1959. His biological mother passed away shortly after he was born. He grew up in Toyama.
In 1983, Tanaka finished his studies at Tohoku University. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. After graduating, he started working at Shimadzu Corporation. There, he focused on developing machines called mass spectrometers.
How He Helped Science: Soft Laser Desorption
To study large molecules like proteins using mass spectrometry, scientists need to turn them into gas and give them an electric charge. This is usually done with a laser. The problem was that strong lasers could break these large molecules into tiny pieces. This made it hard to study their original structure.
In February 1985, Tanaka made an important discovery. He found that if he mixed the large molecules with a special powder made of tiny metal particles in glycerol, the laser would not break them apart. Instead, the molecules would turn into gas and get an electric charge without losing their structure.
This new method was called soft laser desorption (SLD). Tanaka filed a patent for his discovery in 1985. He then shared his findings at a science conference in Kyoto in 1987.
A Scientific Discussion
After Tanaka won the Nobel Prize, some scientists discussed if two German scientists, Franz Hillenkamp and Michael Karas, should also have been included. They had reported a similar method in 1985 called matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). Their method used a small organic compound as a matrix and was very sensitive.
Today, Tanaka's SLD method is not commonly used for studying biological molecules. However, MALDI is widely used in many science labs. It's important to note that while MALDI was developed first, it was not used to give proteins an electric charge until after Tanaka shared his SLD discovery.
Awards and Honors
Koichi Tanaka has received many awards for his scientific work:
- 1989 – Award of the Mass Spectrometry Society of Japan
- 2002 – Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 2002 – Order of Culture (a high honor in Japan)
- 2002 – Person of Cultural Merit
- 2002 – Honorary doctorate from Tohoku University
- 2003 – Honorary citizenship of Toyama Prefecture
- 2003 – Special Award of the Mass Spectrometry Society of Japan
- 2006 – Member of Japan Academy
See also
In Spanish: Kōichi Tanaka para niños
- History of mass spectrometry
- List of Japanese Nobel laureates
