“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”, words uttered by Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Also, it’s worth knowing that the tale of the Nobel prizes can be traced to the desperate search for rectification by a bomb maker. It seems apparent that the most significant events occur on the premise or precipice of an explosion. Well, hail ammonium nitrate, the engine of the fertilizer bomb. Despite the funner nature of the more benign endeavor that underlies my project, I would that you know that the decomposition of urea is important for many industrial processes and less remotely, popular in fertilizers.
In the decomposition of urea, there are certain literary proposed intermediates. Some of the popular intermediates are isocyanic acid (HNCO) and ammonia (NH3), and the other is less an intermediate of decomposition and more a reformation of structure, Ammonium cyanate. Although process depends on research intent, some pervasive variables are constant; there’s a necessity for elevated temperature and a residency time that can be improved. This is where my project could help, by using nanoparticles that have been proven to induce liquid-vapor phase change without heating the entire fluid medium, we can use this localized heating to decompose urea without as much required energy.
My mentor has required that I develop my own process based on the information I have gathered so far. My preliminary proposed process precludes (yes, mind the alliteration) any certainty, and includes the dissolution of urea in water, which can be dissolved up to a kilogram in 1 liter of water without the need to raise the temperature. This solution will then be subsequently infused with nanoparticles, which will be illuminated by light. My working theory is that the particles will decompose urea locally and vaporize the ammonium/ammonia constituent of the medium, this is due to the relative volatility of ammonia(which has the lowest boiling point and consequently the highest vapor pressure). Your question is, “how will you test the distilled vapor for ammonia?”
Reaction of Ammonium chloride standard with ammonia reagents.
Good question! In my second week we prepared a calibration curve using the Berthelot modified “Ammonia Assay Kit”. This kit includes an ammonium chloride standard and 2 ammonia reagents appropriately named ammonia reagent 1 and ammonia reagent 2, these react to form indophenol. By monitoring the optical density of indophenol in the well plate above, at 670 nm for different concentrations of the ammonium chloride standard in reaction, we plotted a graph that will serve as our ammonia yardstick. Below is our plotted graph:
This is my starting point, from which I will adjust and refine propositions to accommodate imminent findings. It is the clay going through the kiln and wheel of thought and the experimental process.
My name is Ifeoluwa Adebiyi, my faculty host is Dr. Naomi Halas, and my mentor is Dr. Oara Neumann; and if there’s anything the second week has taught it is that reactions take time, and this could mean short intermittent waiting periods of 25 to 30 minutes or an extensive spell that could last hours or days. Here’s to a summer of honing patience!!
Ife, I really enjoy your posts! Speaking of patience and Oppenheimer, have you seen Dr Atomic, the opera by John Adams?
Thank you! I am particularly delighted you take your time to read our posts, and I have not seen “Dr. Atomic” but I will look it up now that you’ve spoken of it.