Week Four

Catalyst Of The Week - Platinum

Platinum's atomic number is 78.  It can absorb other substances on to its surface and activate them in the process.  Wikipedia says that Platinum wire will glow red-hot in the vapor of Methanol, where it acts as a catalyst, converting it for Formaldyhde.  There are two kinds of catalysis:  homegeneous or heterogeneous.  The example above is heterogeneous because the catalyst, Platinum, is in a different phase from the reactant...Platinum is solid while the Methanol is a vapor.  Platinum makes a good catalyst because it absorbs strongly enough to activate the Methanol, but not so strongly that the Formaldyhde can't break away.

How Close Are We To A Green Economy?

Almost every day I can walk out of my house and harvest a petroleum based white bag full of garbage straight out of the front yard. In my neighborhood the ice cream man appears 24 hours a day, 7 days a week peddling drugs and processed food products to all who care to buy.  Most of the cars here are older and barely operational. Many vehicles do not have current registrations so heaven only knows what they're pumping into our already questionable air. Our grocery store sells far fewer items than the average supermarket.  We are not offered the choice between paper and plastic. We do not have the option to buy from green companies and I highly doubt anyone gives a thought to buying organically grown produce.  People here have much different values than those held by folks in Berkeley.  Overall we're not a forward looking bunch, we survive from government issued check to government issued check and hope for the best.  It takes money to be green.  Green implies options and most of us don't aspire to much.  Besides, the government will take care of the big stuff like bad air and toxic chemicals.  "They will make them fix things". We're not sure who they and them are though. We have neither the inclination nor the ability to fix the problem. Although I highly doubt that any of my neighbors have much knowledge about what a green economy is I believe the idea that the world is going to hell in a handbag is prevalent. It weighs us down and allows us to throw trash on the ground because not much matters anyway.  I wish my neighborhood was an anomaly but I don't think it is.  I bet there are more neighborhoods in this country like mine than those that aspire to a green economy. 

Greener Industry - Atom Economy

I found this site very interesting.  I was wondering in class when we were discussing industry and how it could be greener and now I have a better understanding.  You have to use chemistry to produce goods in a manner that is eco-friendly.  Efficient catalysts create less harmful waste!  Chemistry is easier for me if I can relate it to my life, so I looked at Vanilla.  Vanilla has a drawing like we see in class.  Go figure!