With a society that is pushing for green alternatives, it is always with great pleasure to learn of alternatives to use of fossil fuels and prevention of the environmentally harming N2O . Not only would this help the environment from man's giant carbon footprint, it would also help to conserve one of man's precious resources. Adipic acid is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world and its production is genuinely considered one of the leading causes of global warning. I believe any findings of alternatives for fossil fuels should be investigated to its maximum potential. I find it fascinating that cancer genome research was able to lead to green chemistry. This article shows the usefulness that genetic research creates outside of the typically thought of medical and agricultural fields.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Unexpected New Way To Produce Nylon Discovered During Cancer Research
At the Duke cancer institute, a study was performed on genetic changes in healthy cells that turn cancerous, when Dr. Reitman and his colleagues thought of a new use for an altered enzyme produced by a genetically mutated brain cell. They believed that the same genetic mutation that has been seen in cancer cells could be used to alter a similar enzyme to the one under study. This enzyme, that is found in bacteria and yeast, can produce 2-hydroxyadipate dehydrogenase. The enzyme 2-hydroxyadipate dehydrogenase is essential for the synthesis of adipic acid. 2-hydroxyadipate dehydrogenase has been long sought to be able to perform green production of nylon. As of now, adipic acid is created using fossil fuels and creates N2O, which is a lead producer to global warming. Dr.Reitman and his colleagues were able to apply their observation of a genetic mutation into being able to produce adipic acids from simple sugars. Sequencing cancer genome allowed for the discovery of new enzyme functions.
With a society that is pushing for green alternatives, it is always with great pleasure to learn of alternatives to use of fossil fuels and prevention of the environmentally harming N2O . Not only would this help the environment from man's giant carbon footprint, it would also help to conserve one of man's precious resources. Adipic acid is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world and its production is genuinely considered one of the leading causes of global warning. I believe any findings of alternatives for fossil fuels should be investigated to its maximum potential. I find it fascinating that cancer genome research was able to lead to green chemistry. This article shows the usefulness that genetic research creates outside of the typically thought of medical and agricultural fields.
With a society that is pushing for green alternatives, it is always with great pleasure to learn of alternatives to use of fossil fuels and prevention of the environmentally harming N2O . Not only would this help the environment from man's giant carbon footprint, it would also help to conserve one of man's precious resources. Adipic acid is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world and its production is genuinely considered one of the leading causes of global warning. I believe any findings of alternatives for fossil fuels should be investigated to its maximum potential. I find it fascinating that cancer genome research was able to lead to green chemistry. This article shows the usefulness that genetic research creates outside of the typically thought of medical and agricultural fields.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi Doug, I really enjoyed your post. I thought it was extremely interesting how such seemingly discrete research, as in this case, could produce a new source for such an essential industrial material as adipic acid. After reading your post, I was very interested in just how adipic acid is utilized in the synthesis of nylon so I looked up a few articles. The article I found, link included below, described the process as follows, "When an acid and an amine are allowed to react, the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen attacks the carbonyl carbon of the carboxylic acid group. Loss of water produces a new bond between the amine and the acid, known as a(n) amide bond. Further reaction between excess amine and acid allows the polymer to grow. The product of this type of reaction is known as a condensation polymer." The condensation polymer in this case is nylon, a widely utilized material within current industrial fields. As we just conducted an experiment of such a synthesis of nylon (nylon 6,6 to be specific) in organic chemistry lab, I thought that this article was very interesting, especially with the environmental concerns associated with the production of adipic acid.
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www2.volstate.edu/chem/2020/labs/nylon66.htm