【Sponsored by SHIMADZU】Survival with Analysis

Sponsored by
SHIMADZU Excellence in Science

JP|EN

Where in the body is the illness? How many more years can these train tracks be used?
How strong is this bridge beam? Is this water safe to drink? Are materials in space different from those on Earth?

These are things we want to know to keep everyone healthy and make life easier. But we can’t see the answers with just our eyes.

That’s when we turn to analysis—the technology that lets us see the unseen. Let’s explore the surprising and fascinating world of analysis!

Characters

Glow-in-the-Dark Fluid

－Which One Glows under UV Light?－

When a black light shone on the three drinks prepared by Magic Baron, one of them started to glow! What is this mysterious liquid?

Which drink glows?

Purple Candle Flames

－Why Do the Flames Change Color?－

When magic Baron lit the candles, the flame turned purple! Can you figure out the trick?

Why was the flame
burning purple?

The Instant Magic Cleaning Fluid

－What Substance Makes a Liquid
Transparent?－

The stain on Geo's vest disappeared in an instant!
What did Magic Baron use to make the stain disappear?

Which made
the stain vanish?

Which Is the Real Jewel?

－ How to Spot a Fake Jewel －

Magic Baron took out three gemstones. Only one of these is real and the rest are artificial. One of imitations is cubic zirconia and another is glass. Can you identify which one is real?

Which Is the Real
Jewel?

Pumpkin Juice Dispenser

－How to Investigate the Insides without Damage－

When the candle inside the Jack-o'-lantern was lit, guess what? Fresh juice started coming out! Can you figure out the trick?

How on earth can
Magic Baron did that?

Unbreakable Table

－Which Material Can Withstand a Big
Impact?－

Magic Baron turned out to be a real wizard! Geo and friends have been shrunk by magic, and now the baron is about to step on them! Which table should they hide under to be safe?

Which is the safest?

Everything starts with
a dream

The company was founded by Genzo Shimadzu Sr. to manufacture instruments for physics and chemistry use.
Genzo’s aspiration was to contribute to society through science and technology.

And he was the first in Japan to succeed in launching a manned civilian light balloon.

His vision has been passed down in the Shimadzu Group through generations and is alive today.
Genzo’s balloon is a symbol of the persistent striving to realize dreams that is in Shimadzu’s DNA.

Society will surely continue to change, and humanity will continue to face new challenges.

For our part, we will continue to make customers’ dreams our own, and strive to realize our wishes for the well-being of mankind and the earth.

Toward the realization of an empathetic society

150 Years of Innovation

Shimadzu Corporation
150th Anniversary Website

Over 15 Million Copies Sold! The Science Comics “SURVIVAL” Series

Surviving in the World of AI Robots, Vol. 2

Elementary school students' No. 1 favorite book!^※ A hugely popular science comic series — over 15 million in Japan and 35 million worldwide. Science and adventure in every page!

※No. 1 in the “Series” category of the 2nd (2020), 3rd (2022), and 4th (2024) Children’s Favorite Book Election chosen by elementary school students

"SURVIVAL" Series Official Website

Observe

How come some substances glow when you shine a black light on them and others don’t?

A black light emits ultraviolet rays. If a substance glows when those UV rays hit it, we call it a fluorescent substance.

So that means only one of the three fluids contains a fluorescent substance?

So, it's time for the analysis instruments! Let’s examine the three fluids with a spectrofluorophotometer.

Analysis

Looking at the graph, only one fluid had a strong reaction!

Answer

3.Energy drink

An energy drink contains a lot of vitamin B2, and when it’s exposed to UV rays, it glows lime green.

Column

Analyzing proteins with light!

We can use a spectrofluorophotometer to bring out light that only comes from certain proteins. This lets us study the condition of proteins that cause diseases and examine viruses.

By the way, the crystal jellyfish has proteins that glow green. The organic chemist and marine biologist Osamu Shimomura won a Nobel Prize for discovering and developing those proteins. His method is now used in medical and biological experiments.

Observe

Why would flames that are usually red turn purple? And why is fire usually red in the first place?

Good observation! Flames from a bonfire or a candle look red because when the carbon particles called soot in a piece of wood or a candle combust, they shine red.

So if you change the composition of the material you’re burning, the flames will change color?

Exactly. This is called flame reaction.Okay, let’s check the wax’s composition with the ICP atomic emission spectrometer!

Analysis

There’s a point where only the Baron’s candle shows a strong reaction!

That’s the same wavelength of light that potassium(a kind of metal) emits when it burns.

Answer

2.There is metal mixed into the candle wax.

Potassium is a metal that emits a faint purple light when it burns.

Column

You can analyze both foods and metals!

An ICP atomic emission spectrometer also has everyday uses. You can examine food to determine the quantity of minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. You can also use the instrument to control the quality of products like lithium-ion batteries or metallic materials containing steel.

Each metallic element burns a different color.

Observe

Wait, something’s strange about this stain. It smells like mouthwash!

It sure does. Let’s examine it. What happens if we pour it on potato salad?

It turned kind of purple!

Mouthwash is made with a liquid that contains dissolved iodine. When iodine reacts with starch in food like rice or potato, it turns a bluish purple. And when it reacts with vitamin C, iodine becomes transparent.

That means the mysterious liquid that instantly washed away the mouthwash stain contains a lot of vitamin C, right?

It’s very likely.
Let's analyze them one by one using the high performance liquid chromatograph.

Analysis

The results show that green tea contains a lot of vitamin C.

Answer

1.Green Tea in a Plastic Bottole

Bottles of green tea in stores have vitamin C added to keep the tea from changing color and losing its flavor.

Column

Analyzing fluid components!

A high performance liquid chromatograph can analyze the type and quantity of components in a fluid. It can help when a company wants to analyze an existing beverage to develop a new product, or when checking components to maintain a drink product’s quality. This device is also used to analyze things like pharmaceuticals and industrial products.

Your body can’t make vitamin C, so it’s good to take a lot.

Observe

Let me see those.

Why are you rubbing the jewels together?!

I want to see if they leave a scratch on the surface. Since glass has a hardness of 6.5, and zirconia’s is more than 8...

I made no scratches in the blue and clear jewels, but the yellow one has a fine scratch, so it must be glass.
Both the blue and the clear jewels look real, so how about we examine the elements with an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer?

Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

What are
elements?

Analysis

Are these the elements in the jewels?

The chemical symbols are abbreviations based on the names of the elements. That means–

Zr stands for the zirconium in the clear jewel. That means the blue one is real. It's a sapphire!

Answer

1.Blue jewel

When I first rubbed the jewels together, the yellow one got scratched, so it’s probably glass.

Then we analyzed the rest two with the machine, the clear and the blue jewel, zirconium (Zr) was detected in the transparent one. Cubic zirconia is an artificial jewel made by synthesizing powdered zirconium (Zr) oxide at high temperatures.

Column

Examine the insides without breaking it!

An energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer can determine the elemental composition of an object by irradiating it with X-rays and measuring the energy (wavelength) and intensities of the X-ray fluorescence that are reflected back. The instrument enables analysis without damaging the object. The instrument is also used to check for hazardous substances such as lead or cadmium in electrical appliances and electronic devices.

A human tooth has a Mohs hardness of about 7. That’s harder than steel, which is around 4.

Observe

The juice came out when he lit the candles.

There must be something happening inside. Let’s check with an X-ray CT system!

Can this machine really see inside the pumpkin without breaking it?

Let’s see what happens with a regular pumpkin.

Wow! Look at that!

Analysis

Now let’s put the Baron’s pumpkin into the device.

Look! There’s something in the back of the head!

Is that a little hook? I wonder what it’s caught on.

I think I see what he’s doing here!

Answer

Juice was in a paper cup suspended on a string.

The X-ray CT system can produce a detailed three-dimensional representation of an object’s shape and structure.

Column

Find defects with precision instruments!

X-ray CT systems are often used by automakers, as well as in the electrical appliance, electronics, and food product businesses. You can also use this instrument to check for holes and cavities inside of aluminum castings, make sure that chips are correctly mounted inside of electronic appliances, and look for any dust or foreign matter inside of a machine.

A scientist named Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895.

World invisible to
the naked eye

Observe

We have to get somewhere safe!　
For now, just get under a table!

But we have several tables! Which do we choose?!

When I was assisting Dr. Brain with an experiment, we used a Universal Testing Instrument to check the strength of different materials.

Analysis

Broke under less than half the force the glass fiber
reinforced plastic withstood.
Barely bent and didn’t break even under strong force.
Didn’t break, but bent a lot.

As a result of the test, the fiberglass-reinforced plastic was the strongest.

Answer

2.Glass fiber reinforced plastic

Although it’s transparent like fragile glass, it’s a highly durable material that’s very resistant to impacts. It’s used in products such as tennis rackets and parts for automobiles and airplanes.