Periodic Tabloid

Watching the United Nations climate change conference going on in Durban, South Africa this week, it’s evident that the world’s political systems are largely deadlocked on ways to slow the rate of addition of CO2 to the atmosphere. But what if we could recycle CO2 by using it as a starting material for the carbon-based chemistry that now originates with oil?

It’s not often that chemical issues drive international politics. But China’s recent decision to temporarily halt most of its production of rare earth elements has been a hot news topic. What’s all the fuss about?

What if we had a source of power that generated no greenhouse gases and was essentially limitless? We do. It’s called hydrogen, and every molecule of water on earth contains a molecule of H2, just itching to be combusted for energy.

CHF supporters may recognize Donald and Mildred Othmer as the founders of the Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library of Chemical History at CHF. But friends and family knew them as Don and Mid. This holiday season we would like to share CHF’s collection of the Othmers' Christmas plates. A different plate will be unveiled each day leading up to December 25.

Today is Thanksgiving and most Americans are celebrating with friends, families, and feasts. Such occasions raise our spirits and lie on the plus side of the ledger. It’s also worth reflecting that not all of our fellow citizens share in the banquet.

Science and music have always fascinated me, but for different reasons. I turn to one for its promise of explaining nature and humanity, the other for its emotional and introspective qualities. This is why I was surprised to learn about Icelandic singer and electronic musician Bjork’s latest album, Biophilia. In it, she transforms scientific instruments into just, well, instruments.

Concerned with the decline of student interest in chemical engineering, CHF board member Peter Spitz has started a new blog, Chem Engineering Posts, drawing on his experience and extensive knowledge about the chemical engineering industry. There are few blogs devoted to chemical engineering, so Spitz’s is a welcome and accessible addition

The news last month from Europe was that a research team at CERN near the French/Swiss border observed neutrinos arriving at a detector faster than the speed of light. Naturally, the experiment is being repeated, checked, parsed, and thoroughly debated because physicists aren’t really all that anxious to rethink everything held dear for the past century. Personally, I hope it turns out that neutrinos can travel faster than light because, really, what could be more fun than to totally re-imagine the basic nature of the universe?

"I had a date with Clifford Hach. He came up to the door and had a nice little package all wrapped up for me. I thought, 'It’s a box of candy.' He gave me the package, I opened it up, and there was a book for me to read by Dr. Otto Eisenschiml - Without Fame: The Romance of a Profession. Cliff said, 'I want you to read this because we’re going to build a chemical company.' His ambition was already very clear, even back in those days."

The world population is rapidly growing and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. By the end of 2011, which the United Nations has designated the International Year of Chemistry, the population is estimated to exceed 7 billion people - and may have already. By 2050 even modest projections place this same figure above 9 billion. Among other issues such unprecedented growth raises is one stark and glaring question: How can the world feed that many people?