A new center to study the fundamental nature of chemistry may be established at Argonne National Laboratory in Du Page County.
The Center for the Fundamental Chemistry of Energy Processes would examine in minute detail what occurs during the first few trillionths of a second when
A new center to study the fundamental nature of chemistry may be established at Argonne National Laboratory in Du Page County.
The Center for the Fundamental Chemistry of Energy Processes would examine in minute detail what occurs during the first few trillionths of a second when a chemical reaction commences, Ellis Steinberg, director of Argonne`s chemistry division, said Tuesday.
Scientists with theoretical and experimental orientations would work together studying such things as how electrons are transferred between atoms during chemical reactions and what pathways of change are followed by matter as it undergoes a chemical reaction.
An initial funding of $2 million currently is being considered by a U.S. House-Senate conference committee for Argonne`s 1986 budget, Steinberg said. As proposed, the center would require $15 to $20 million over the next five years to start up.
U.S. Rep. Harris Fawell (R., Naperville) broached the subject Monday at a symposium of the American Chemical Society but cautioned that he did not want to ``jinx`` the appropriation. Fawell, a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, called the project a ``ray of hope`` in the country`s funding picture for basic research.
The initial $2 million and subsequent funding would go for hiring researchers and for upgrading equipment. Electron accelerators, high speed lasers and other high technology would be used to examine the fundamental nature of chemical reactions. A supercomputer owned by the Department of Energy would be used to perform computations needed to analyze experimental results.
Such questions as when a cluster of atoms begins to take on the characteristic of a metal are planned for study at the center.
``We wonder how many atoms of iron you need to have in a cluster, for example, before they take on the properties of ferromagnetism,`` Steinberg said.
How metallic atoms function as catalysts in chemical reactions would be a focus of this research.
Because basic science would be performed by both experimental and theoretical researchers, it is expected that interaction between the two would stimulate both, he said.
``We anticipate a situation where an experimenter would describe his results to a theorist over coffee and raise new ideas that might be suggested for more experimentation the next day,`` Steinberg said.
Although basic research is the goal of the new center, it would be set up to encourage collaboration with industry and academia to facilitate application of scientific results, he said.
``An oil company might be interested in working with our metallic catalysis researchers, for example`` Steinberg said. ``Our goal is to facilitate the transfer of technology to private enterprise that can go on to develop it commercially.``
Universities, for instance, might send doctoral candidates or postdoctoral students to the center to collaborate with Argonne scientists in research projects. One goal of the center will be to provide an understanding of how complex reactions occur.
Chemists already have working theoretical models of how reactions involving up to three different atoms occur, but the Argonne goal is to provide models for reactions involving four to ten different atoms.
Fruits of such research could range from developing a synthetic form of photosynthesis, the process used by plants to produce food from raw materials and energy, to discovering a practical way to extract hydrogen from water for use as fuel.
A better understanding of chemical processes could also help scientists fine tune existing chemical reactions to maximize the output of desired end products and minimize impurities.