The Role of Chemistry in History

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Introduction to “Agent Orange”

April 24th, 2008 · 13 Comments ·

Intro to Agent Orange | History of Herbicides and Early Beginnings of Agent Orange | Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam | Effect of its use in Vietnam

Agent Orang is a 50-50 mixture of n-butyl esters of 2,4,- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5,- Tricholorophenoxyacetic acid. The U.S. Armies name, “Agent Orange”, orginiated from the simply fact that the chemical was shipped to Vietnam in bright orange barrels.

2,4 Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid

2,4,5 trichlorophenoxyacetic

Agent Orange is usually dissolved in an organic solvent such as diesel oil or kerosene before being used as a spray. Agent Orange was most commonly implemented by being sprayed out of slow and low flying transport planes.

Agent Orange is a general-purpose herbicide meaning that it doesn’t differentiate between plant -life. Many Herbicides are created so that when they are applied they don’t harm crops, but kill weeds and other unwanted plant life. When Agent Orange is sprayed all plant-life defoliates in about three to six weeks and it persists doing that for about 7 to 12 months.

Agent Orange is also what is classified as a systemic herbicide, which is absorbed either by the roots or the foliar part of a plant and then is translocated within the plant system to tissues that may be remote from the point of application. Furthermore as a Phenoxy Acid Type herbicide, Agent Orange acts as a synthetic growth hormone, mimicking the natural auxins that occur within plants, which allow for the chemical to be readily absorbed by the foliage

It is important to note that while 61% of all Herbicides sprayed in the almost decade long operation consisted of Agent Orange, other Herbicides were used in Vietnam. For example Agent Purple, Agent White and Agent Blue
o Agent Purple being almost identical to Agent Orange, but simply having a slightly different molecular make-up
o Agent White being the most powerful and persistent jungle defoliator.
o Agent Blue is notable because it was used for destruction of crops, which though only accounted for 14% of the overall herbicide spray missions was nonetheless very controversial.

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Benzyl Acetate in Perfumes

April 24th, 2008 · 6 Comments ·

History of Perfumes/ Perfume Ingredients/ The Family of Esters/ Formula of Benzyl Acetate/ Properties of Benzyl Acetate/ Uses of Benzyl Acetate/ Benzyl Acetate in Perfumes

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqxf7sSVXj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVhl0g8t4AY&feature=related800pxcollage_of_commercial_perfumes.jpg

Perfumes have changed from a luxury product to a commodity product. They have become an essential part of people’s lives by representing people’s characters and sending certain messages.

Obtaining synthetic fragrances has developed the perfume industry dramatically and has made it possible for more people to enjoy beautiful and diverse scents.

Benzyl Acetate is one of thousands of esters that can be used for perfume ingredients. It is an extremely significantperfumes-set.jpg compound because it provides a basic odor that can be found in many of the perfumes and other cosmetic products.

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Uses of Benzyl Acetate

April 24th, 2008 · Comments Off on Uses of Benzyl Acetate ·

History of Perfumes/ Perfume Ingredients/ The Family of Esters/ Formula of Benzyl Acetate/ Properties of Benzyl Acetate/ Uses of Benzyl Acetate/ Benzyl Acetate in Perfumes

 

 

Since benzyl acetate makes up 40% of the picked jasmine flower, it is widely used in synthetic perfumery. It imparts fruit flavors like those of banana, strawberry, pear and apple and is thus used in the flavoring industry.

Benzyl acetate plays role as a chemical intermediate for the production of other organic compounds. It also acts as a solvent to resins, plastic, polishes, and ink.

The use of benzyl acetate in the US for a year amounts to 1 million kg. There are 33 industrial suppliers of the compound and 75 worldwide.

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Properties of Benzyl Acetate

April 24th, 2008 · 8 Comments ·

History of Perfumes/ Perfume Ingredients/ The Family of Esters/ Formula of Benzyl Acetate/ Properties of Benzyl Acetate/ Uses of Benzyl Acetate/ Benzyl Acetate in Perfumes

 

Physical properties:

Molecular mass: 150.2 g/mol
Odor: sweet floral; fruity; fresh jasmine

  • Combustible
  • jasmine.JPG
  • Clear colorless liquid
  • Pungent, bitter taste
  • Very low solubility in water
  • Stable under ordinary conditions
  • Found naturally in many flowers

Benzyl acetate is a primary constituent of the essential oils from the flowers jasmine and ylang-ylang. Therefore, it is widely used in perfumery and cosmetics for its aroma and in flavorings to stimulate apple, banana, strawberry, and pear flavors.

In a process not industrially conducted, benzyl acetate is produced by reaction of toluene, acetic acid, and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst.

Acute Health Effects: mild to moderate irritation of skin, eyes, and lungs.

 

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References

April 24th, 2008 · Comments Off on References ·

|| INTRODUCTION || DISCOVERY || STRUCTURE || “SMART” CLOTHES ||

|| ELECTRICITY & POWER || CANCER & DISEASE TREATMENT || REFERENCES ||

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Monthioux, Marc and Kuznetsov, Vladimir L. (2006). “Who should be given the credit for the discovery of carbon nanotubes?”. Carbon 44. doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2006.03.019. Retrieved on 4/15/08.

Oberlin, A. M. Endo, and T. Koyama, J. Cryst. Growth (March 1976). “Filamentous growth of carbon through benzene decomposition” 32: 335 – 349. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(76)90115-9. Retrieved on 4/15/08.

Baughman, R. H. (2000). Putting a new spin on carbon nanotubes. Science, 290(5495), 1310-1311.

Baughman, R. H., Zakhidov, A. A., & Heer, W. A. d. (2002). Carbon nanotubes: The route toward applications. Science, 297(5582), 787-792.

Chen, J., Hamon, M. A., Hu, H., Chen, Y., Rao, A. M., Eklund, P. C., et al. (1998). Solution properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Science, 282(5386), 95-98.

Collins, P. G., Arnold, M. S., & Phaedon Avouris. (2001). Engineering carbon nanotubes and nanotube circuits using electrical breakdown. Science, 292(5517), 706-709.

Dresselhaus, M. S., Dresselhaus, G., Charlier, J. C., & Hernández, E. (2004). Electronic, thermal and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 362(1823, Nanotechnology of Carbon and Related Materials), 2065-2098.

Endo, M., Hayashi, T., Kim, Y. A., Terrones, M., & Dresselhaus, M. S. (2004). Applications of carbon nanotubes in the twenty-first century. Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 362(1823, Nanotechnology of Carbon and Related Materials), 2223-2238.

Gorman, J. (2001). Chemists decorate nanotubes for usefulness. Science News, 159(25), 390.

H. W. Kroto, J. R. Heath, S. C. O’Brien, R. F. Curl and R. E. Smalley (1985). “C60: Buckminsterfullerene”. Nature 318: 162 – 163. doi:10.1038/318162a0.

Iijima, Sumio (1991). “Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon”. Nature 354: 56 – 58.

Iijama, Sumio (1993). “Single-shell carbon nanotubes of 1-nm diameter”. Nature 363: 603 – 605.

Jonge, N. d., & Bonard, J. (2004). Carbon nanotube electron sources and applications. Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 362(1823, Nanotechnology of Carbon and Related Materials), 2239-2266.

Kam, N. W. S., O’Connell, M., Wisdom, J. A., Dai, H., & Gray, H. B. (2005). Carbon nanotubes as multifunctional biological transporters and near-infrared agents for selective cancer cell destruction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(33), 11600-11605.

Kasumov, A. Y., Deblock, R., Kociak, M., Reulet, B., Bouchiat, H., Khodos, I. I., et al. (1999). Supercurrents through single-walled carbon nanotubes. Science, 284(5419), 1508-1511.

May, M. (1999). Nanotechnology: Thinking small. Environmental Health Perspectives, 107(9), A450-A451.

Saito, S. (1997). Carbon nanotubes for next-generation electronics devices. Science, 278(5335), 77-78.

IMAGES CITED (URLs)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotubes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucky_ball

nanocarb.meijo-u.ac.jp/jst/Iijima/EIijima.html

www.nsti.org/news/item.html?id=50

www.new-england-contractor.com/dictionary.htm

www.germes-online.com/catalog/70/1238/25098/s…

www.emergentarchitecture.com/about.php?id=1

www.whatsnextnetwork.com/.../index.php/2005/08/

 

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Formula of Benzyl Acetate

April 24th, 2008 · Comments Off on Formula of Benzyl Acetate ·


History of It is formed through the condensation reaction of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid.

structure.gif

C9H10O2

History of Perfumes/Perfume Ingredients/The Family of Esters/Formula of Benzyl Acetate/Properties of Benzyl Acetate/Uses of Benzyl Acetate/ Benzyl Acetate in Perfumes

 

 

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Perfume Ingredients

April 24th, 2008 · 3 Comments ·

History of Perfumes/ Perfume Ingredients/ The Family of Esters/ Formula of Benzyl Acetate/ Properties of Benzyl Acetate/ Uses of Benzyl Acetate/ Benzyl Acetate in Perfumes

Molecules of the fragrance attack the olfactory system, located in the area above the human nose. They attach t receptors, which transmit the signal to the brain via neurons.

Perfumes consist of three layers, or “notes”:

  1. Top: most volatile, initial smell
  2. Heart: main aroma of the perfume, some volatility, stays for several hours
  3. Base: least volatile, stays for most of the day

Basic ingredients:blueperfumebottle.JPG

  • 80%-90%: ethyl alcohol
  • essential oils from plants
  • fruit flavors

Nowadays perfumes consist of 500-600 chemical substances.

Only 5% of today’s perfumes are derived from natural compounds.

Methods for production: expression, distillation, solvent extraction

 

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Introduction

April 24th, 2008 · Comments Off on Introduction ·

|| INTRODUCTION || DISCOVERY || STRUCTURE || “SMART” CLOTHES ||

|| ELECTRICITY & POWER || CANCER & DISEASE TREATMENT || REFERENCES ||

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Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon is the most versatile element on the planet. It can bond with itself and just about every other atom known to humans. Through these special properties, Carbon has the ability to create amazing structures like the Carbon Nanotube.

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Nanotechnology is leading the way to the future. From their discovery in 1991 to current research today, carbon nanotubes present a bright future for electricity, cancer and disease treatment, and clothing development among countless other things. Dreams that only existed in science fiction may soon become reality.

 

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Discovery

April 24th, 2008 · 2 Comments ·

 

|| INTRODUCTION || DISCOVERY || STRUCTURE || “SMART” CLOTHES ||

|| ELECTRICITY & POWER || CANCER & DISEASE TREATMENT || REFERENCES ||

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  • Carbon nanotubes were thought to have been discovered in 1991 by an NEC employee, Sumio Iijima. New findings reveal, however, that two Soviet scientists were the first to observe a hollow nanometer carbon tube in 1952. Radushkevich and Lukyanovich’s discovery was largely unknown to American scientists because of little communication out of the USSR.

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  • Before they came to be known as carbon nanotubes, American scientists observed hollow tubes of rolled up graphite sheets in 1976. The first specimens observed would later come to be known as single walled nanotubes (SWNTs) because they are simply one layer of graphite.
  • After Iijima formally introduced the scientific community to carbon nanotubes in 1991, the discovery of multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) followed. MWNTs are simply several layers of graphite which are then rolled into a cylinder. The layers of graphite form concentric circles if the tube were to be viewed from either end.

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  • SWNTs have proved to be the focus of scientists’ research and thus the following topics all refer to SWNTs except where noted.

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Structure

April 24th, 2008 · 1 Comment ·

 

|| INTRODUCTION || DISCOVERY || STRUCTURE || “SMART” CLOTHES ||

|| ELECTRICITY & POWER || CANCER & DISEASE TREATMENT || REFERENCES ||

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  • The structure of carbon nanotubes is strikingly similar to that of diamond, fullerene, and graphite. In fact, carbon nanotubes are simply graphite sheets rolled up into a cylindrical shape as seen below.

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  • Carbon nanotubes are allotropic, meaning that they are a hexagonal network of carbon atoms bonded together.
  • All the bonds between carbon atoms are sp2 hybridized (similar to diamond). This special characteristic gives the nanotube incredible strength for its minuscule size.

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  • Carbon nanotubes were discovered to be 20 times stronger than steel, 17 times stronger than kevlar, and 4 times stronger than spider silk.


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