More than Meets the Eye

      Recently, a team of researchers has assembled a carbon nanotube computer which is able to perform two functions. For those who are not familiar with carbon nanotubes, they are materials consisting of carbon in the shape of a tube with a thickness equal to that of one ten-thousandth of a human hair. The structure of a nanotube resembles the picture below.

      Though the computer can only run a counting and sorting program at this point, it is an amazing accomplishment considering the precise arrangement of atoms and materials required on the nanometer scale in order to be able to make a device such as this. The research group's incredible product is commended in the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/science/researchers-build-a-working-carbon-nanotube-computer.html. One of the leaders of the group, H.S. Philip Wong, described the amount of time needed to complete this task by saying, "'We've spent a tremendous amount of time on this; in fact we've spent two generations of students on this.'" If it takes two generations of well-educated, intelligent scientists to assemble this one computer, then clearly assembling this device was not an easy feat. The team began by using carbon nanotubes to assemble transistors for the computers which were then connected to one another in order to form an electric circuit. This step-by-step process of advancement ultimately lead to the creation of the carbon nanotube computer.
      Like I wrote in the article before this, technological advancement such as this has immense significance because of the many possibilities nanotechnology may hold in the future. To have an understanding of the size of this carbon nanotube computer, look at the picture provided in the article of leader, Max Shulaker, in front of it.

      To the right of Shulaker, the carbon nanotube microscope is shown beneath a powerful microscope, the only way it can be clearly seen with the human eye. Now relating back to my prior post again, what if this computer nanotechnology were combined with the ability to arrange atoms into structures possessed by using the specialized scanning tunneling microscope. Possibly in the future, a program could be made on the computer to operate the manufacturing of other micro structures using the scanning tunneling microscope. Nanotechnology has proposed possibilities of medicinal use, helping the environment, and even ending world hunger. If humans want to have any chance of accomplishing ambitious feats such as this, stepping-stones such as this device are crucial. 

      Topics such as this relate to simple chemistry lessons of electrons, protons, and neutrons because it is important to be well-versed on materials at subatomic level in order to figure out how to manipulate them. A person would have to be able to know information on this topic and then be able to draw conclusions and inferences based on the given information. In the case of Max Shulaker's team, he knew the structure of micro materials, like carbon nanotubes, and he was able to manipulate them to assemble the carbon nanotube computer. This style of thinking is what chemistry is all about. 

Small in Size but Humongous Significance

      Most people who study chemistry are aware of the importance of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) which provides chemists views of substances on an atomic level. Though this is a great feat in itself, Nobel Prize Winner, Don Eigler of IBM, has multiplied the potential of this tool immensely. Eigler has invented a new STM which not only provides images on the atomic level but can also position and move atoms. IBM releases more details in their article: http://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=almaden-eigler. Most STMs use a needle to trace and create an image of a surface which normally looks like the image shown below.

In very simple terms, a STM has a needle tip ending with a single atom which conducts a current of electricity to other atoms on the surface. The needle then passes over the surface, scanning for changes in voltage allowing the microscope to create these three-dimensional images. Don Eigler's STM has been modified so it can use its needle to position atoms on a surface. He demonstrated this by spelling out "I-B-M" using atoms. 

The precision and level of technology needed to organize atoms in such a way is incredible. Prior to arranging atoms, Eigler first cools samples to low temperatures to produce little to no motion of atoms so they may be arranged using the needle. Since Eigler's new STM can manipulate atoms, this greatly opens the door for future technology. Instantly, I think of medical uses for this technology. Small devices can be manufactured using tools such as this microscope to be placed in the body to regulate body functions. Maybe these microscopic devices could even cure deficiencies many humans possess. This is most likely why IBM researched how to manipulate the arrangement of atoms because they know this is where potential for future technology lies. Now because of Don Eigler, technology can be manufactured at any size. Not only does Eigler deserve a Nobel Peace Prize, but he deserves to have street names in his honor, multiple statues, and places in textbooks so future generations can marvel at his stunning accomplishment. 

Erasing the Boundary Between Fantasy and Reality

      For as long as fairy tales have been told, the idea of an alchemist has been around. Typically an alchemist is a person who can change the matter of a substance of low value and alter it into a substance of high value, such as gold, using chemistry. At Princeton University, a chemist, Paul Chirik, has achieved the status of an alchemist as depicted in this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/science/modern-day-alchemy-has-iron-working-like-platinum.html?ref=chemistry&_r=0.

      Dr. Chirik has managed to alter iron, so it may function as platinum. By using catalysts and organic molecules known as ligands, Chirik is able to provide a shape for the molecule to form bonds ultimately allowing it to acquire properties of platinum. The amount of possibilities that can come from this research is limitless! If Dr. Chirik is able to change fantasy into reality, then who knows for certain what is or is not possible through further development in science. 

      One statement in this article that really stands out to me is when the author points out how a pound of platinum is valued around $22,000 whereas iron only costs around $0.50 per pound. Thus if chemists can ensure this altered form of iron does not rust, possibly construction workers could use this platinum replica to construct buildings saving an immense amount of money in supplies. Lower construction prices would ultimately help areas develop throughout the world. Another point is some resources on Earth are finite. Though this may not be the case now, there may be a point in the future in which humans will have to use this research to construct materials that have been depleted. At the end of the article, the author also mentions how Dr. Chirik's team is searching for a way to use catalysts to convert nitrogen in the air to other forms rather than using the Haber-Bosch method. Not only would this help in the production of nitrogen, but I wonder if it could benefit the environment. Currently, theories of global warming are constantly circulating in media. Thus I wonder if catalysts could possibly be used to extract green house gases, like carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere lessening the effects of global warming. It is not certain what this research is capable of, but clearly there are no boundaries to its potential. 

      

   

      

For the Inner Pyromaniacs Inside All of Us

Hello fellow chemistry enthusiasts! In honor of celebrating the creation of my blog, I'm going to start it off with a bang. Literally! By this I mean the combustion of a substance known as thermite. Thermite is a mixture of aluminum and iron oxide which burns at a very high heat as shown in this video from the TV series, Mytbusters! Please disregard the first ten seconds of the cartoon introduction, I apologize in advance.

As stated in the video by one of the main scientists, when ignited, thermite burns three times hotter than molten lava. Even prior to this statement, the scientist mentions how he talked to fellow colleagues who also used this amount of thermite, and they use this to make rocket boosters! For me, I find the sheer power and energy given off by this reaction truly fascinating. Mixtures of thermite containing iron oxide usually produce heat around 2887 degrees Celsius (approximately 5229 degrees Fahrenheit) when ignited. Though I know I will not be conducting experiments like this in my Honors Chemistry class, videos such as this harbor an excitement inside of me to study chemical reactions and ultimately learn how matter does react with other forms of matter. Even on the smaller scale of a high school level, experiments such as these still display processes which we would otherwise be completely unaware of in the world around us. It's also interesting to think of how a person can join elements and their properties to make a new substance or mixture possessing both sets of properties like thermite in this case. Due to the heat given off when thermite burns, it is commonly used for welding purposes like joining metal to make railroads. Here's yet another exciting video of thermite burning over ice to start off this blog not with one, but two bangs! 

Another thing I want to point out about this video is how scientists are still unsure as to why thermite does provide this explosion in the presence of ice. This shows that there is still much to learn in the area of chemistry, and the same can be said for science as a whole. As there are multiple explanations as to why this reaction may occur, there are multiple approaches and reasons as well, showing chemistry is a subject in which one has to draw conclusions and make inferences to ultimately form an answer as to why something like this occurs. Good-bye for now!