Researchers at Trinity College developed a computer program to express the structure of molecules in the style of Piet Mondrian. Enhanced understanding of molecular symmetry and the creation of a new teaching tool at the junction of art and science.
In the same way, what seems to be simple artworks has engaged scientists for many decades, turning up niche applications in statistics and mathematics.
Scientific Applications and Inspirations
Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have now developed a computer program that visualizes molecular structure in the style of Piet Mondrian, truly marrying art and science in the pursuit of molecular symmetry and functionality. This new tool is available here. It is powered by an algorithm that artfully brings together the rules of chemistry, which detail the 3D structure of a molecule from its constituents, and the 2D artistic flair of Mondrian.
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The work is detailed in a study published recently in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Art in Science and Science in Art
The tool enables researchers to analyze molecular symmetry much faster and illustrate it better, going beyond the conventional representations of molecular symmetry. It will also provide artists with beautiful pictures having two contrasting views of symmetry that may inspire them to incorporate scientific concepts within their art.
“We have been working on this in our spare time for a few years now,” saying, “The whole point was just for fun—to output the structure of a molecule in an artistically pleasing manner as a painting in the style of Mondrian.”. The ‘paintings’ obtained are unique for each molecule and juxtapose what Mondrian and others aimed to do with the De Stijl artistic movement, explains senior author Mathias O Senge, Professor of Organic Chemistry in Trinity and Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study of TU Munich.
“Symmetry and shape are central to understanding molecular structure and how we understand molecules and their properties, yet very often relationships between chemical structure and derived values are obscured. We took our inspiration from Mondrian’s Compositions, depicting blocks of colour reflecting symmetry information encoded within 3D data, to make clear how chemical argumentation could contribute to symmetry.”
Impact on Molecular Understanding
“In chemistry, it is nice to have sort of a universal way of depicting molecular structure, so that it helps sort of blueprint how a molecule is likely to behave under certain conditions and how it might react and change shape when it’s in the presence of other molecules. A certain amount of nuance is lost in that process,” said first author Christopher Kingsbury, a postdoctoral researcher in TBSI who came up with the idea for the project.
“This idea of increasing abstraction by erasing minor details and trying to display it in a general form is emulated in the early work of Mondrian and in some sense this is what the scientists do intuitively when reducing complex phenomena to a ‘simpler truth’. Through our new approach, very complex science passes through an artistic lens, which may make it more accessible to a greater variety of people.”
Over the past decade, Senge and his colleagues have enormously deepened our understanding of porphyrins, a unique class of intensely colored pigments – also known as the “colours of life”. In one such work, they created a suite of new biological sensors by chemically re-engineering these pigments to act like tiny Venus flytraps and grab specific molecules, such as pollutants. And now, this new, merged direction in art and science could help further our understanding of the inner workings of porphyrins.
“Great art gives us a new perspective on the world,” said Senge. “As a pastiche, this art may allow us to look at familiar molecules, such as porphyrins, in a new light, and help us to better understand how their shape and properties are intertwined.”. More generally, we firmly believe that most current activities in the field of ‘Art and Science’ urgently need a breaker of discipline boundaries and a merger into ‘ArtScience’. There is an interplay between science and art and mixing of both aspects in our respective fields of endeavour; this should be a focus for future developments in both areas.
The interdisciplinary approach of the researchers not only improves scientific visualization but also opens up new perspectives for education. Presenting molecular structure from the perspective of an artist, it attracts scientists and the general public to the beauty and complexity of chemistry. Such a fusion of art and science could well inspire a larger audience to explore scientific concepts and appreciate aesthetic dimensions of molecular symmetry.
To this aim, a program generating Mondrian-like visualizations for molecular structures can turn upside down chemistry education. A creative way to explain the abstract concepts of molecular symmetry and structure may now be more usable for students and educators. As such, this innovative educational tool aligns with modern pedagogical approaches setting a focus on interactive and visually appealing learning experiences.
The Trinity College Dublin research team believes there may be more at stake than just chemistry—similar artistic interpretations of meaning could make all the difference in other scientific fields. This artwork, as a means to translate complex scientific ideas, crosses the boundaries of disciplines and brings about an appreciation of the interlinking of knowledge.
It is in this light that Dr. Christopher Kingsbury, one of the co-creators of the project, mused over its evolution and the impact it might have on public engagement with science: “By putting scientific rigor inside an artistic expression, really complex things can be demystified and made relatable and engaging for diverse audiences.” This approach enriches not just scientific discourse but further promotes a holistic understanding of the natural world.
Looking ahead, the artistic and scientific value of this project reveals that interdisciplinarity does advance the frontiers of both art and science. It will spur scientists to think of new ways to express their findings and urge artists to be inspired by scientific discoveries. More than this, it sets high hopes of future innovations, which will enlarge our knowledge of the universe and ignite interest in new generations of scientists and artists.
Reference: “Molecular Symmetry and Art: Visualizing the Near-Symmetry of Molecules in Piet Mondrian’s De Stijl” by Christopher J. Kingsbury and Mathias O. Senge, 15 April 2024, Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202403754
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/
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