Iimpendulo zeekhemikhali zisenzeka kuyo yonke indawo esingqongileyo ngalo lonke ixesha—ngokucacileyo xa ucinga ngako, kodwa bangaphi kuthi abakwenzayo xa siqala imoto, sibilisa iqanda, okanye sichumisa ingca yethu?
Ingcali ye-chemical catalysis uRichard Kong ebesoloko ecinga ngee-chemical reactions. Emsebenzini wakhe "njengomlungisi weengcali," njengoko esitsho, akanomdla nje kuphela kwiimpendulo ezivela ngokwazo, kodwa ukwanomdla nasekufumaneni iimpendulo ezintsha.
Njengomfundi waseKlarman kwiKhemistri kunye neBiology yeKhemikhali kwiKholeji yoBugcisa neSayensi, uKong usebenza ekuphuhliseni izinto ezikhuthazayo eziqhuba iimpendulo zeekhemikhali kwiziphumo ezifunwayo, edala iimveliso ezikhuselekileyo nezongezelelekileyo, kuquka nezo zinokuba nefuthe elihle kwimpilo yomntu. ngoLwesithathu.
“Inani elikhulu leempendulo zeekhemikhali zenzeka ngaphandle koncedo,” utshilo uKong, ebhekisa ekukhutshweni kwekhabhoni diokside xa iimoto zitshisa amafutha efosili. “Kodwa iimpendulo zeekhemikhali ezintsonkothileyo nezintsonkothileyo azenzeki ngokuzenzekelayo. Kulapho ke i-catalysis yeekhemikhali iqala khona.”
UKing kunye noogxa bakhe baphuhlise ii-catalysts zokulawula ii-reaction ababefuna zenzeke. Umzekelo, i-carbon dioxide ingaguqulwa ibe yi-formic acid, i-methanol, okanye i-formaldehyde ngokukhetha i-catalyst efanelekileyo kunye nokuvavanya iimeko ze-reaction.
Ngokutsho kukaKyle Lancaster, uNjingalwazi weKhemistri kunye neBiology yeKhemikhali (A&S) kunye nomlawuli weKong, indlela kaKong ihambelana kakuhle nendlela "eqhutywa kukufumanisa" yelebhu kaLancaster. “URichard wayenengcamango yokusebenzisa i-tin ukuphucula ikhemistri yakhe, into engazange ibekho kwiskripthi sam,” utshilo uLancaster. “Une-catalyst enokukhetha ukuguqula i-carbon dioxide, ekuthethwa ngayo kakhulu kumaphephandaba, ibe yinto exabisekileyo ngakumbi.”
UKing kunye namaqabane akhe basandula ukufumanisa inkqubo, phantsi kweemeko ezithile, enokuguqula ikharbon dioxide ibe yi-formic acid.
“Nangona singekabi nobuchule bokuphendula, inkqubo yethu iyakwazi ukwenziwa ngokwezifiso,” utshilo uKong. “Ngale ndlela, sinokuqala ukuqonda nzulu isizathu sokuba ezinye ii-catalysts zisebenza ngokukhawuleza kunezinye, isizathu sokuba ezinye ii-catalysts zingcono ngokwemvelo. Singayilungisa iparameters yee-catalysts size sizame ukuqonda ukuba yintoni eyenza ezi zinto zisebenze ngokukhawuleza, kuba okukhona zisebenza ngokukhawuleza, kokukhona zisebenza ngcono, kokukhona unokwenza iimolekyuli ngokukhawuleza.”
NjengoMntu waseKlarman, uKong ukwasebenza ukususa ii-nitrate, isichumiso esiqhelekileyo esingena emanzini ngendlela enobuthi, kwindalo esingqongileyo size siziguqule zibe zizinto ezingenabungozi ngakumbi, utshilo.
UKing uzame ukusebenzisa iintsimbi ezifumaneka emhlabeni, ezifana ne-aluminium kunye ne-tin, njengee-catalysts. Ezi zintsimbi zixabiso eliphantsi, azinatyhefu kwaye zininzi kakhulu kuqweqwe lomhlaba, ngoko ke ukuzisebenzisa akuyi kubangela iingxaki zokuzinza, utshilo.
“Sikwasebenza kwindlela yokwenza ii-catalysts apho iintsimbi ezimbini zidibana khona,” utshilo uKong. “Ngokusebenzisa iintsimbi ezimbini kwisakhelo esinye, zeziphi iimpendulo kunye neenkqubo zeekhemikhali ezinomdla esinokuzifumana kwiinkqubo ze-bimetallic?”
Amahlathi yindawo egcina iikhemikhali ezigcina ezi zinyithi – zibalulekile ekuvuleni amandla ezi zinyithi ukuze zenze umsebenzi wazo, kanye njengokuba udinga impahla efanelekileyo yemozulu efanelekileyo, utshilo uKong.
Kwiminyaka engama-70 edlulileyo, umgangatho ubukukusebenzisa iziko lesinyithi elinye ukufezekisa utshintsho lweekhemikhali, kodwa kwiminyaka elishumi edlulileyo okanye ngaphezulu, iingcali zekhemistri kweli candelo ziqalise ukuphanda ukudibana kweesinyithi ezimbini, nokuba zezekhemikhali okanye ezikufutshane. Okokuqala, utsho uKong, “Kukunika amanqanaba enkululeko angakumbi.”
Ezi catalysts ze-bimetallic zinika iingcali zekhemistri amandla okudibanisa ii-catalysts zesinyithi ngokusekelwe kumandla kunye nobuthathaka bazo, utshilo uKong. Umzekelo, iziko lesinyithi elibopha kakubi kwi-substrates kodwa liphule ii-bond kakuhle linokusebenza nelinye iziko lesinyithi eliphula ii-bond kakubi kodwa libopha kakuhle kwi-substrates. Ubukho besinyithi sesibini buchaphazela neempawu zesinyithi sokuqala.
“Ungaqala ukufumana into esiyibiza ngokuba yimpembelelo yokusebenzisana phakathi kwezi ziko zimbini zesinyithi,” utshilo uKong. “Intsimi ye-bimetallic catalysis sele iqalile ukubonisa ukusabela okungaqhelekanga nokumangalisayo.”
UKing uthe kusekho ukungacaci okuninzi malunga nendlela iintsimbi ezidibana ngayo kwiikhompawundi zemolekyuli. Uchulumancile bubuhle bekhemistri ngokwayo njengoko naye echulumancile ziziphumo. UKing waziswa kwiLancaster Laboratories ngenxa yobuchule bakhe kwi-X-ray spectroscopy.
“Luhlobo lwe-symbiosis,” utshilo uLancaster. “I-X-ray spectroscopy yanceda uRichard ukuba aqonde ukuba kwenzeka ntoni ngasemva kweziganeko kunye nokuba yintoni eyenza i-tin isebenze ngakumbi kwaye ikwazi ukwenza le khemikhali. Sizuze kulwazi lwakhe olubanzi lwekhemistri yeqela eliphambili, oluvule ithuba lokuba iqela lingene kwindawo entsha.”
Konke kuxhomekeke kwikhemistri esisiseko kunye nophando, utshilo uKong, kwaye le ndlela yenziwe yafumaneka yi-Open Klarman scholarship.
“Ngemihla eqhelekileyo, ndingenza ii-reactions kwilebhu okanye ndihlale kwikhompyutha ndilinganisa iimolekyuli,” utshilo. “Sizama ukufumana umfanekiso opheleleyo wemisebenzi yeekhemikhali kangangoko kunokwenzeka.”