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 njengo "njineli yesandi yobungcali", njengoko esitsho yena ngokwakhe, unomdla kungekuphela nje kwii-reactions ezivela kuye, kodwa nakwi-activation 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 bayila i-catalyst yokulawula impendulo ababeyifuna, kwaye yenzeka. Umzekelo, i-carbon dioxide ingaguqulwa ibe yi-formic acid, i-methanol, okanye i-formaldehyde ngokukhetha i-catalyst efanelekileyo kunye nokuvavanya iimeko zempendulo.
Ngokutsho kukaKyle Lancaster, unjingalwazi wekhemistri kunye nebhayoloji yeekhemikhali (A&S) kunye nonjingalwazi waseKong, indlela kaKong ihambelana kakuhle nendlela "eqhutywa kukufumanisa" yelebhu kaLancaster. “URichard wayenengcamango yokusebenzisa i-tin ukuphucula ikhemistri yakhe, into eyayingekho kwiskripthi sam,” utshilo uLancaster. “Sisisusa sokuguqulwa kwekhabhoni diokside ibe yinto exabisekileyo ngakumbi, kwaye ikhabhoni diokside ifumana uxinzelelo olukhulu olubi.”
UKing kunye namaqabane akhe basandula ukufumanisa inkqubo, phantsi kweemeko ezithile, enokuguqula ikharbon dioxide ibe yi-formic acid.
“Nangona okwangoku singasondelanga kwindlela esebenza ngayo le nkqubo, inkqubo yethu ilungelelaniswe kakuhle,” utshilo uKong. “Ngoko ke singaqala ukuqonda nzulu ukuba kutheni ezinye ii-catalysts zisebenza ngokukhawuleza kunezinye, kutheni ezinye ii-catalysts zingcono ngokwemvelo. Singalungisa iiparameter zee-catalysts size sizame ukuqonda ukuba yintoni eyenza ezi zinto zisebenze ngokukhawuleza, kuba okukhona zisebenza ngokukhawuleza, kokukhona zingcono – ungenza iimolekyuli ngokukhawuleza.”
NjengoMntu waseKlarman, uKong ukwasebenza ekuguquleni ii-nitrate, izichumisi eziqhelekileyo ezintywila emanzini, zisuka kwindalo esingqongileyo zibe yinto engenabungozi, utsho.
UKing uzame ngeentsimbi zomhlaba ezifana ne-aluminium kunye ne-tin njengee-catalysts. Ezi ntsimbi zixabiso liphantsi, azinatyhefu kwaye zininzi kakhulu kuqweqwe lomhlaba, ngoko ke ukuzisebenzisa akuyi kubangela iingxaki zokuzinza, utshilo.
“Sikwafumana indlela yokwenza ii-catalysts apho ezimbini zezi metals zidibana khona,” utshilo uKong. “Ngokusebenzisa ii-metal ezimbini kwisakhelo, loluphi uhlobo lweempendulo kunye nemibuzo enomdla esinokuyifumana kwiinkqubo ze-bimetallic?” “i-chemical reaction?”
Ngokutsho kukaKong, i-scaffolding yindawo apho ezi zinyithi zihlala khona.
Kwiminyaka engama-70 edlulileyo, isiqhelo ibikukusebenzisa iziko lesinyithi elinye ukufezekisa utshintsho lweekhemikhali, kodwa kwiminyaka elishumi edlulileyo okanye ngaphezulu, iingcali zekhemistri kweli candelo ziqalise ukuphonononga ukusebenzisana phakathi kweentsimbi ezimbini ezidityanisiweyo okanye ezidityanisiweyo. , utshilo uKong, “Ikunika 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 libophe kakuhle kwi-substrates. Ubukho besinyithi sesibini buchaphazela neempawu zesinyithi sokuqala.
“Ungaqala ukufumana into esiyibiza ngokuba yimpembelelo yokusebenzisana phakathi kwezi ziko zimbini zesinyithi,” utshilo uKong. “Ezinye iimpendulo ezikhethekileyo nezimangalisayo ziqala ukuvela kwicandelo le-bimetallic catalysis.”
UKing uthe kusekho ukungaqiniseki okukhulu malunga nendlela iintsimbi ezidibana ngayo kwiimo zeemolekyuli. Wayechulumancile bubuhle bekhemistri ngokwayo njengoko naye wayechulumancile ziziphumo. UKing waziswa kwilebhu yaseLancaster ngenxa yobuchule bakhe kwi-X-ray spectroscopy.
“Luhlobo lwe-symbiosis,” utshilo uLancaster. “I-X-ray spectroscopy yanceda uRichard ukuba aqonde ukuba yintoni eyayingaphantsi kwe-hood kunye nokuba yintoni eyenza i-tin isebenze ngakumbi kwaye ikwazi ukwenza le khemikhali. Siyazuza kulwazi lwakhe olubanzi lwe-chemistry yeqela eliphambili, oluye lwavuleka kwintsimi entsha.”
Konke kuxhomekeke kwikhemistri esisiseko kunye nophando, indlela eyenziwe yaba nokwenzeka yi-Open Klarman Fellowship, utshilo uKong.
“Ngokwesiqhelo ndiyakwazi ukuqhuba i-reaction kwilebhu okanye ndihlale kwikhompyutha ndilinganisa i-molecule,” utshilo. “Sizama ukufumana umfanekiso opheleleyo wemisebenzi yeekhemikhali kangangoko kunokwenzeka.”