How The Public Perceives This Topic

                The information that is gained from this kinetics problem can have many applications to the public. As shown in Exam 2 for this semester this problem can have many real world applications. The exam had a problem that read:

In environmental studies among all the other nitrogen oxides, N2O4 is also implicated responsible for the occurrence of “acidic rain”. Generally, if the half life time of a substance is less than an hour, it is not considered a significant contributor to the composition of air. You are working for the local lab of EPA and you are charged with an investigation of a power plant that allegedly outputs significant amount of N2O4. While normally N2O4 decomposes to form NO2, it happens so that the power plants outputs some trace contaminations which serve as a catalyst for the decomposition of N2O4 according to the following process:

You design and perform an experiment to study the decomposition of N2O4 in the presence of those contaminants.  Based on your results (shown in the table below) make an assessment as to what the half life time of N2O4 is in the air and decide if the power plant is in violation of environmental laws, that is if the half life of N2O4 exceeds 1 h.

                Although this is only a theoretical example many situations like this can and do occur in which to solve a problem the kinetics of a reaction much be studied using the method we discussed in class. Furthermore, each of the studies described in the Scientific Approach section have real world applications.

Example 1:

                Nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced by both natural and human-related sources. Primary human-related sources of N2O are agricultural soil management, animal manure management, sewage treatment, mobile and stationary combustion of fossil fuel, adipic acid production, and nitric acid production. Nitrous oxide is also produced naturally from a wide variety of biological sources in soil and water, particularly microbial action in wet tropical forests. Nitrous oxide emission levels from a source can vary significantly from one region to another, depending on many factors such as industrial and agricultural production characteristics, combustion technologies, waste management practices, and climate. For example, heavy utilization of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in crop production typically results in significantly more N2O emissions from agricultural soils than that occurring from less intensive, low-tillage techniques. Also, the presence or absence of control devices on combustion sources, such as catalytic converters on automobiles, can have a significant effect on the level of N2O emissions from these types of sources.

                Therefore Nitrous Oxides can have a substantial impact on the public. The need for better understanding and control of the decomposition of Nitrous Oxide is necessary to reduce its harm. This is the reason why the EPA funds operations like David T. Wickman’s research of Bifunctional Catalysts for the Decomposition of Nitric Oxide.

Example 2:

                 Due to its high-cetane number and low-sooting characteristics, dimethyl ether (DME) has been proposed as a promising alternative diesel fuel and fuel additive for reducing particulate and NOx emissions. Therefore the research that Zhenwei  Zhao, Marcos Chaos, Andrei Kazakov, and Frederick L. Dryer worked on for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University titled “The Thermal Decomposition Reaction and a Comprehensive Kinetic Model of Dimethyl Ether” was necessary to explore the real world applications of the decomposition of DImethyl Ether.

Example 3:

                 Sanders and Gallagher proved that evolved gas analysis could be useful in the study of kinetics of complex reactions. This method could be useful in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

                Clearly there are an unlimited amount of real world applications of the kinetics studies that were represented in the problem we performed in class. What seems like a meaningless calculation in excel is in actuality the foundation of research that could have significant importance in real world applications. The environment’s and human’s heath could be benefited and the way of human life could be changed for the better