Fall 06 IF Form 1 P. 1-16.Indd

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Fall 06 IF Form 1 P. 1-16.Indd People Foundation for the second time, has a alone, replacing current lighting value of one million euros. systems with systems based on LED lights could achieve very significant The Millennium Technology reductions in energy consumption in Prize is awarded every second year future decades. The new light sources for a technological innovation that are also well-suited to operation with significantly improves the quality solar power systems and are therefore of human life. The intention is ideal for use in remote areas of to encourage human-centered developing countries. technological development by rewarding both innovations and One of the most significant future research and development work that applications for Shuji Nakamura’s are aimed at improving quality of invention is the sterilization of SHUJI NAKAMURA received the life and sustainable development. drinking water, since the use of 2006 Millennium Technology Finnish organizations, industry, and ultraviolet LEDs makes the water Prize for developing a new, the Finnish government founded and purification process both cheaper revolutionary source of light and more efficient. Systems based – bright-blue, green, and white fund the prize. The first Millennium LEDs, and a blue laser. Dr. Technology Prize was awarded to Sir on this technology are expected to Nakamura is shown here with Tim Berners-Lee in June 2004 for his improve the lives and health of tens his blue laser. invention of the World Wide Web. of millions of people. Professor Shuji Nakamura’s Data storage and transfer using Shuji Nakamura Wins innovation has launched a totally light generated by blue lasers brings new sector in light-producing significant benefits, for example, the 2006 Millennium semiconductor research and the amount of data stored on CDs Technology Prize development. His development or DVDs can be increased by some also made possible the wide-scale five times compared to current industrial production of efficient, techniques. The 2006 Millennium Technology energy-saving LED lights and created Prize has been awarded to SHUJI Professor Nakamura was born the conditions for applications that NAKAMURA. Professor Nakamura in Japan in 1954. He has worked improve the quality of human life. has developed a new, revolutionary in the USA at the University of source of light – bright-blue, green, LED lights have extremely long California, Santa Barbara since and white LEDs and a blue laser. lives and consume far less energy 2000, and his research work into The technology is used in several than normal incandescent lamps. new sources of light continues. applications that improve the quality In industrialized countries, the For more information, visit the of human life. The world’s largest opportunities for energy-saving Millennium Prize website at www. technology prize, now being awarded LED lights are significant – it has millenniumprize.fi. by Finland’s Millennium Prize been calculated that in the USA presented by the European Fuel where he led development of solid Cell Forum. The medal is named for oxide fuel cell technology from the Swiss scientist who is credited a laboratory curiosity to fully with identifying the fundamental integrated 200 kW power generation chemistry of fuel cells and, together systems. At PNNL, Singhal provides with Sir William Robert Grove, for the senior technical, managerial and creation of the fuel cell in 1839. commercialization leadership to the A member of the National laboratory’s fuel cell program. Academy of Engineering, Singhal is a Singhal has authored more than Fellow of four professional societies: 75 scientific publications; edited ECS, American Ceramic Society, 13 books; received 13 patents; and ASM International, and American delivered over 225 plenary, keynote, Association for the Advancement of and other invited presentations Science; and is a senior member of worldwide. He is an adjunct professor TMS, the Mineral, Metals & Materials in the Department of Materials Subhash Singhal Honored Society. He also has served on Science and Engineering at the with Schoenbein Medal numerous national and international University of Utah and serves on advisory panels. Singhal has been the Visiting Advisory Board of the very active in ECS. He is a past chair Department of Materials Science Fuel cell pioneer SUBHASH SINGHAL, of the High Temperature Materials and Engineering at the University of a Battelle Fellow, and Director of Division, currently chair of the ECS Florida. Fuel Cells at the Department of Publication Committee, and has The award was presented to Singhal Energy’s Pacific Northwest National been the lead organizer of the very Laboratory, has received the Christian by Professor John Kilner, chair of the successful Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Seventh European Solid Oxide Fuel Friedrich Schoenbein Gold Medal Symposium. for his outstanding contributions to Cell Forum, and Ulf Bossel, chair of solid oxide fuel cell technology. The Dr. Singhal joined PNNL in April the European Fuel Cell Forum, during biennial award is the highest honor 2000, after nearly 30 years at Siemens the closing ceremony of the forum’s Westinghouse Power Corporation, July meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland. 12 The Electrochemical Society Interface • Fall 2006 Errata In the summer 2006 issue of In Memoriam giants in the field of defect chemistry, Interface, in the “Denver, Colorado as he built on the pioneering work Meeting Highlights” article (p. 10), of Carl Wagner and Walter Schottky we regrettably misspelled the name of that began in the early 1930s. One the Vittorio de Nora Award winner, of his lasting contributions was his Florian Mansfeld. Prof. Mansfeld participation in the development and provided the additional information promotion of a systematic and logical about his career. We apologize to Dr. scheme of defect notation known as Mansfeld for the errors. Kröger-Vink notation, which is now universally used. It brought order to Dr. Mansfeld began his award a chaotic mix of strange notations address by recognizing his mentors that had previously been used. He and co-workers in the field of electrochemistry and corrosion also promoted the use of the Brouwer science. After obtained his PhD approximation of charge neutrality to in physical chemistry at the develop the graphical representation University of Munich (Germany), of defect concentrations as a he joined Prof. H. H. Uhlig’s function of the nonmetal/metal corrosion lab at MIT in 1967. This activity in compound crystals now marked the start of his career Ferdinand Anne Kröger known as Kröger-Vink diagrams. as a corrosion scientist. In 1969 He summarized his work in his he joined the NASA Electronic 1915-2006 monumental monograph, The Research Center at Cambridge Chemistry of Imperfect Crystals (a (Massachusetts), where he FERDINAND A. KRÖGER passed away wonderful title). I had the privilege of worked with S. Gilman and M. on March 17, 2006 in Encinitas, meeting Professor Kröger at a number Salomon. He then started working California, survived by his former of conferences and of discussing at the North American Science wife Elisabeth J. Kröger-Hofdijk, some of our own work with him. His Center (later called the Rockwell son Frank, daughter Catharine, approval was a matter of great pride International Science Center) with granddaughter Solange, and to me. He leaves behind an enduring scientists that had carved out grandsons Mathew and Robert. record of achievements.” distinguished careers of their own, such as K. Oldham, E. Parry, and G. Professor Kröger was born in The legacy of Professor Kröger’s Lauer. In 1978, he became manager Amsterdam in 1915; and in 1937, passion for understanding and of the Interface Phenomena at the young age of 22, received correlating the physico-chemical Group. Dr. Mansfeld mentioned his doctorate in physical chemistry properties of materials to their defects the extensive work he performed from the University of Amsterdam. or imperfections as he called them, with his colleague M. Kendig in His early work was in luminescence is of paramount importance in the many areas of corrosion research, in solids. In 1940, he reported industrial processing of materials in especially in the development of the first observation of a series of the development and manufacture the electrochemical impedance emission peaks below the absorption of modern day optoelectronic and spectroscopy (EIS) technique as a edge that are spaced apart by a microelectronic devices. powerful tool in corrosion research. longitudinal phonon energy in the Finally, he mentioned important II-VI compounds. He summarized the This notice was prepared by Prof. collaborations with B. Little and early work in the book Some Aspects Kröger’s colleague, V. Swaminathan, and C. Breslin, and acknowledged of Luminescence of Solids published by Prof. Kröger’s family, students, and the contributions of his many in 1948 by Elsevier. In 1964, after other colleagues. postdoctoral fellows and graduate research positions at Philips, in The students. In 1985 Dr. Mansfeld became a professor of materials Netherlands, and Mullard Research science at USC. Laboratories in the UK, he moved to the USA with his family. He became In the summer 2006 issue of Interface, a founding professor of the Materials in the “Denver, Colorado Meeting Science Department at the University Highlights” article (p. 9), in the of Southern California. He directed bottom photo, the names of the people doctoral dissertations of his students were transposed. The photo, and its in II-VI compounds and oxides. Many correct caption, appear below. of his students went on to occupy key positions in leading industrial research laboratories at ATT, IBM, 3M, and Aerojet Systems. Others took the entrepreneurial route establishing their own small companies. Professor Kröger was a recipient of numerous awards that include USC Viterbi School of Engineering Research Award and the Chandon Gold Medal from the French The 2006 Henry B. Linford Award was Mineralogy Society. He was elected to presented to DEREK PLETCHER (right) by the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences. ECS President BILL SMYRL.
Recommended publications
  • Fuel Cell Energy Generators PLATINUM CATALYSTS USED in ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE
    Fuel Cell Energy Generators PLATINUM CATALYSTS USED IN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE By D. S. Cameron Group Research Centre, Johnson Matthey and Co Limited The steam, in turn, is produced by burning Improvements in the preparation and fossil fuels (coal or hydrocarbons), or by utilisation of platinum metal catalysts nuclear fission. Unfortunately, the processes have now made megawatt scale fuel cell of converting fuel into heat, heat into steam, systems economically viable. The high and steam into electricity involve efficiency thermal efficiency and low pollution losses at every stage. The Carnot cycle characteristics of this novel power source shows that the thermal efficiency of any heat are likely to result in it forming an engine is limited to E where: increasing proportion of the generating capacity utilised for both peaking and intermediate applications. This paper T, and TI being the temperatures, in degrees briejly reviews the development of fuel kelvin, at which heat is supplied to, and cells; it also describes how they work, rejected by, the system. In practice, upper including the function of the catalyst, temperatures are limited to about 500'C and indicates the more important of the (773 K), lower temperatures are at least 30°C many factors which have to be considered (303 K), and efficiencies are limited to a when selecting a commercial system. maximum of 60 per cent. Indeed most modern large power stations are able to achieve only 38 to 40 per cent efficiency. Fuel cells have already achieved acceptance Fuel cells convert fuel directly into elec- as reliable, lightweight power sources for trical energy by an electrochemical route space applications, for example in the Apollo which is not limited by the Carnot cycle.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophical Transactions, »
    INDEX TO THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, » S e r ie s A, FOR THE YEAR 1898 (VOL. 191). A. Absorption, Change of, produced by Fluorescence (B urke), 87. Aneroid Barometers, Experiments on.—Elastic After-effect; Secular Change; Influence of Temperature (Chree), 441. B. Bolometer, Surface, Construction of (Petavel), 501. Brilliancy, Intrinsic, Law of Variation of, with Temperature (Petavel), 501. Burke (John). On the Change of Absorption produced by Fluorescence, 87. C. Chree (C.). Experiments on Aneroid Barometers at Kew Observatory, and their Discussion, 441. Correlation and Variation, Influence of Random Selection on (Pearson and Filon), 229. Crystals, Thermal Expansion Coefficients, by an Interference Method (Tutton), 313. D. Differential Equations of the Second Order, &c., Memoir on the Integration of; Characteristic Invariant of (Forsyth), 1. 526 INDEX. E. Electric Filters, Testing Efficiency of; Dielectrifying Power of (Kelvin, Maclean, and Galt), 187. Electricity, Diffusion of, from Carbonic Acid Gas to Air; Communication of, from Electrified Steam to Air (Kelvin, Maclean, and Galt), 187. Electrification of Air by Water Jet, Electrified Needle Points, Electrified Flame, &c., at Different Air-pressures; at Different Electrifying Potentials; Loss of Electrification (Kelvin, Maclean, and Galt), 187. Electrolytic Cells, Construction and Calibration of (Veley and Manley), 365. Emissivity of Platinum in Air and other Gases (Petavel), 501. Equations, Laplace's and other, Some New Solutions of, in Mathematical Physics (Forsyth), 1. Evolution, Mathematical Contributions to Theory o f; Influence of Random Selection on the Differentiation of Local Races (Pearson and Filon), 229. F. Filon (L. N. G.) and Pearson (Karl). Mathematical Contributions to the Theory of Evolution.—IV. On the Probable Errors of Frequency Constants and on the Influence of Random Selection on Variation and Correlation, 229.
    [Show full text]
  • Valentine from a Telegraph Clerk to a Telegraph Clerk
    Science Museum Group Journal Technologies of Romance: Valentine from a Telegraph Clerk ♂ to a Telegraph Clerk ♀: the material culture and standards of early electrical telegraphy Journal ISSN number: 2054-5770 This article was written by Elizabeth Bruton 10-08-2019 Cite as 10.15180; 191201 Discussion Technologies of Romance: Valentine from a Telegraph Clerk ♂ to a Telegraph Clerk ♀: the material culture and standards of early electrical telegraphy Published in Autumn 2019, Issue 12 Article DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15180/191201 Keywords electrical telegraphy, poetry, scientific instruments, James Clerk Maxwell Valentine from A Telegraph Clerk ♂ to a Telegraph Clerk ♀, by JC Maxwell, 1860 The tendrils of my soul are twined With thine, though many a mile apart. And thine in close coiled circuits wind Around the needle of my heart. Constant as Daniell, strong as Grove. Ebullient throughout its depths like Smee, My heart puts forth its tide of love, And all its circuits close in thee. O tell me, when along the line From my full heart the message flows, What currents are induced in thine? One click from thee will end my woes. Through many an Ohm the Weber flew, And clicked this answer back to me; I am thy Farad staunch and true, Charged to a Volt with love for thee Component DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15180/191201/001 Introduction In 1860, renowned natural philosopher (now referred to as a ‘scientist’ or, more specifically in the case of Clerk Maxwell, a ‘physicist’) James Clerk Maxwell wrote ‘Valentine from a Telegraph Clerk ♂ [male] to a Telegraph Clerk ♀ [female]’ (Harman, 2001).[1] The short poem was a slightly tongue-in-cheek ode to the romance of the electric telegraph littered with references to manufacturers of batteries used in electrical telegraphy around this time such as John Daniell, Alfred Smee, and William Grove and electrical units (now SI derived units) such as Ohm, Weber, Farad and Volt (Mills, 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • High School - Round 1A
    HIGH SCHOOL - ROUND 1A TOSS-UP 1) Earth and Space – Short Answer What is a tornado called when it moves or develops over water? ANSWER: WATERSPOUT BONUS 1) Earth and Space – Multiple Choice As the Atlantic Ocean began to open around 200 million years ago, which of the following regions was most directly adjacent to the crust that now underlies the eastern margin of the United States? W) The British Isles X) The southwest margin of Scandinavia Y) The northwest margin of Africa Z) The Walvis Ridge ANSWER: Y) THE NORTHWEST MARGIN OF AFRICA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOSS-UP 2) Biology – Multiple Choice In which of the following organelles does transcription NOT occur? W) Nucleus X) Peroxisome [purr-OX-ih-zohm] Y) Chloroplast [KLOR-oh-plast] Z) Mitochondrion [my-tow-KON-dree-on] ANSWER: X) PEROXISOME BONUS 2) Biology – Short Answer A commonly-used method of classifying animals is to find a shared ancestral characteristic and use it to group organisms as either within the group or outside the group. Identify all of the following three animals that are inside the group for the hinged jaw characteristic: 1) Lamprey; 2) Turtle; 3) Bass. ANSWER: 2 AND 3 High School - Round 1A Page 1 TOSS-UP 3) Math – Short Answer Solve the following equation for x: 4 divided by open parenthesis x – 6 close parenthesis equals 5 divided by open parenthesis x – 1 close parenthesis. ANSWER: 26 BONUS 3) Math – Short Answer Identify all of the following four expressions that are odd functions: 1) Cube root of x; 2) Cosine of x; 3) Tangent of x; 4) e to the x power.
    [Show full text]
  • Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry of Low Temperature Fuel Cells
    Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry Of Low Temperature Fuel Cells Frano Barbir Professor, FESB, Split, Croatia Joint European Summer School for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Prof. Dr. Frano Barbir energy partners What is fuel cell? Fuel cell is an electrochemical energy converter. It converts chemical energy of fuel (H 2) directly into electricity. Fuel cell is like a battery but with constant fuel and oxidant supply. heat _ hydrogen FUELBATTERY CELL DC electricity oxygen + water Fuel cell history Christian Schönbein Invention of fuel cell (1799-1868): Prof. of Phys. and Chem. in Basel, first observation of fuel cell effect (Dec. 1838, Phil. Mag.) William Robert Grove (1811 –1896): Welsh lawyer turned scientist, demonstration of fuel cell (Jan. 1839, Phil. Mag.) 1839 Fuel cell history Invention of fuel cell Scientific curiosity Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald (1853-1932, Nobel prize 1909): founder of “Physical Chemistry”, provided much of the theoretical understanding of how fuel cells operate 1839 Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald – visionary ideas: “I do not know whether all of us realise fully what an imperfect thing is the most essential source of power which we are using in our highly developed engineering – the steam engine” Energy conversion in combustion engines limited by Carnot efficiency unacceptable levels of atmospheric pollution vs. Energy conversion in fuel cells direct generation of electricity highly efficient, silent, no pollution Transition would be technical revolution Prediction: practical realization could take a long
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophical Transactions (A)
    INDEX TO THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS (A) FOR THE YEAR 1889. A. A bney (W. de W.). Total Eclipse of the San observed at Caroline Island, on 6th May, 1883, 119. A bney (W. de W.) and T horpe (T. E.). On the Determination of the Photometric Intensity of the Coronal Light during the Solar Eclipse of August 28-29, 1886, 363. Alcohol, a study of the thermal properties of propyl, 137 (see R amsay and Y oung). Archer (R. H.). Observations made by Newcomb’s Method on the Visibility of Extension of the Coronal Streamers at Hog Island, Grenada, Eclipse of August 28-29, 1886, 382. Atomic weight of gold, revision of the, 395 (see Mallet). B. B oys (C. V.). The Radio-Micrometer, 159. B ryan (G. H.). The Waves on a Rotating Liquid Spheroid of Finite Ellipticity, 187. C. Conroy (Sir J.). Some Observations on the Amount of Light Reflected and Transmitted by Certain 'Kinds of Glass, 245. Corona, on the photographs of the, obtained at Prickly Point and Carriacou Island, total solar eclipse, August 29, 1886, 347 (see W esley). Coronal light, on the determination of the, during the solar eclipse of August 28-29, 1886, 363 (see Abney and Thorpe). Coronal streamers, observations made by Newcomb’s Method on the Visibility of, Eclipse of August 28-29, 1886, 382 (see A rcher). Cosmogony, on the mechanical conditions of a swarm of meteorites, and on theories of, 1 (see Darwin). Currents induced in a spherical conductor by variation of an external magnetic potential, 513 (see Lamb). 520 INDEX.
    [Show full text]
  • Electrochemistry and Fuel Cells: the Contribution of William Robert Grove
    Indian Journal of History of Science, 50.3 (2015) 476-490 DOI: 10.16943/ijhs/2015/v50i4/48318 Historical Notes Electrochemistry and Fuel Cells: The Contribution of William Robert Grove Jaime Wisniak* (Received 19 January 2015) Abstract William Robert Grove (1811-1896), a British lawer, judge, and researcher, discovered the voltaic cell that carries his name (more powerful than the Daniell one), the fuel cell, and carried fundamental research in the area of electrochemistry and allied phenomena. His general analysis of physical phenomena may be considered an expression of the first law of thermodynamics and the negation of perpetual motion. Key words: Daniell cell, Electrochemistry, Energy conversion, First law of thermodynamics, Flame electricity, Gas fuel cell, Grove cell, Perpetual motion, Polarization. 1. INTRODUCTION to Grove being appointed to the first professorial chair of the Institution (1841-1846). William Robert Grove1 was born on July 11, 1811, in Swansea in South Wales, the only son The financial needs for growing a long of Anne Bevan and John Grove, a magistrate and family forced him to return to the practice of law; deputy lieutenant of Glamorgan. After receiving in 1853 he became a Q.C. (Queen Council), in 1871 he was appointed a judge to the Court of private education he registered at Brasenose Common Pleas, and in 1880 he was appointed to College (one of the constituent colleges of the the Queen’s Bench. In 1887, after retirement, he University of Oxford), receiving a B.A. degree in appointed a member of the Privy Council. 1832. He then moved to London to pursue a legal career at Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the bar William Grove passed away on August 1, 1896, after a long illness and was buried at Kensal in 1835.
    [Show full text]
  • Penetration of Hydrogen Into Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Fuel Cells by Quantum and Molecular Dynamics Simulations
    polymers Article Penetration of Hydrogen into Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Fuel Cells by Quantum and Molecular Dynamics Simulations JinHyeok Cha * , Wooju Lee and Jihye Baek Institute of Fundamental and Advanced Technology, Hyundai Motor Company, 37 Cheoldobangmulgwan-ro, Uiwang-si 16082, Gyeonggi-do, Korea; [email protected] (W.L.); [email protected] (J.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The advent of the Hydrogen Society created great interest around hydrogen-based energy a decade ago, with several types of vehicles based on hydrogen fuel cells already being produced in the automotive sector. For highly efficient fuel cell systems, the control of hydrogen inside a polymer-based electrolyte membrane is crucial. In this study, we investigated the molecular behavior of hydrogen inside a polymer-based proton-exchange membrane, using quantum and molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, this study focused on the structural difference of the pendent- like side chain polymer, resulting in the penetration ratio of hydrogen into the membrane deriving from the penetration depth of the membrane’s thickness while keeping the simulation time constant. The results reveal that the penetration ratio of the polymer with a shorter side chain was higher than that with the longer side chain. This was justified via two perspectives; electrostatic and van Citation: Cha, J.; Lee, W.; Baek, J. der Waals molecular interactions, and the structural difference of the polymers resulting in the free Penetration of Hydrogen into Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for volume and different behavior of the side chain. In conclusion, we found that a longer side chain Fuel Cells by Quantum and is more trembling and acts as an obstruction, dominating the penetration of hydrogen inside the Molecular Dynamics Simulations.
    [Show full text]
  • On Science in a COUNTRY Iwan Rhys Morus
    JAX10289/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK SMALLOn science in a COUNTRY Iwan Rhys Morus Wales tends to fall by the wayside in narratives about the history of science, but its stories complicate and enrich our picture of science’s past and future. Iwan Rhys Morus is a professor of history at Aberystwyth University in Ceredigion, Wales. His latest book is William Robert Grove: Victorian Gentleman of Science (2017). n 1756 Welsh hymnist and religious reformer William science and what they think it means for them. Williams Pantycelyn composed an epic poem titled Golwg ar deyrnas Crist (A Survey of Christ’s Kingdom). Pantycelyn’s vision of science By any standards a remarkable piece of work, it As a small country on the western fringe I of the British Isles, Wales has spent much consisted of an impressive 1367 verses, amounting to of its history on the periphery of em- 5468 lines. Eight years later Pantycelyn published a revised edition of pires—Roman, Angevin, and British. the poem (see figure 1), consisting then of 1366 verses.1 Throughout that history, it has main- tained its own distinct language and As the title suggests, what Pantycelyn offered his readers culture. Welsh, still spoken by about 20% of the population, was a detailed account of God’s creation and humanity’s place was for most of the last millennium and a half the country’s in it. The poem is notable for its detail and in particular for its dominant language. There remains a continuous literary tradi- extended discussions of the latest scientific ideas about the na- tion in Welsh that has its origins in the first emergence of the ture of God’s creation.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle
    283. HYDROGEN FUEL CELL VEHICLE PROJECT REFERENCE NO.: 39S_B_BE_082 COLLEGE : T. JOHN GROUP OF TECHNOLOGY, BANGALORE BRANCH : MECHANICAL ENGINEERING GUIDES : DR. SUJITH PRASAD E. STUDENTS : MR. VIVEKANANDA M. MR. ABHISHEK G. SHETTY MR. HARSHA S. MR. MAHANTESH MADIWALAR INTRODUCTION: Hydrogen is going to be the fuel for future. It is the most lightest and most abundant element in the universe. Pure hydrogen gas can extracted from various sources like hydrocarbons,fossil fuels,water etc. The best suitable source to produce hydrogen gas is water which is abundantly available on the earth. Hydrogen from water can be produced by a process called electrolysis which uses electrochemical reaction to separate H2 and O2 molecule from water. In 1839, the Welsh scientist Sir William Robert Grove took the familiar electrochemical process of electrolysis which uses electricity to produce hydrogen from water and reversed it generating electricity and water from hydrogen. He called his invention a gas voltaic battery but today we know it as a hydrogen fuel cell. Much later in the middle of the 20th century the technology was further developed by the inventor Francis Bacon. The technology that these two inventors devised is essential to the operation of a hydrogen car. What makes a hydrogen car possible is a device called a fuel cell which converts hydrogen to electricity giving off only heat and water and water vapour as byproducts. Because it is non-polluting, hydrogen seems to be the ideal fuel for the 21st century. Several hygrogen cars are now in existence which include Cheverolet Equinox, the BMW745h, the Honda FCX, the recently released Toyota Mirai.
    [Show full text]
  • 246. the Grove-Bunsen Cell
    Notes from the Oesper Collections The Grove and Bunsen Cells William B. Jensen Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 45221-0172 The previous two issues of Museum Notes have de- scribed the secondary Edison nickel-iron alkaline stor- age cell (1) and the primary Daniel gravity cell (2) respectively. This issue will deal with two more closely related primary cells of historical importance found among the collection of voltaic cells donated to the Oesper Collections some years ago by the Chemistry Department of Oberlin College – the Grove nitric acid cell and the Bunsen carbon cell. First described by the British scientist and jurist, William Robert Grove (fig- ure 1), in 1839 (3) both of these cells are based on the net cell reaction (4): Zn(s) + H2(SO4)(aq) + 2H(NO3)(aq) → Zn(SO4)(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l) + ΔEel Figure 1. William Robert Grove (1811-1896). in which Zn(0) is oxidized to Zn(II) at the anode, N(V) is reduced to N(IV) at the cathode, and the resulting net cell potential is roughly 1.9 V. Like the Daniel cell described in the previous is- sue, the Grove nitric acid cell was a two-fluid system that employed separate electrolytes for the cathode and anode and a ceramic spacer. In his prototype Grove had employed the bowls from broken clay pipes as his spacers, with an inert platinum (Pt) cathode and nitric acid [H(NO3)] electrolyte inside the pipe bowl, and a Zn anode and dilute sulfuric acid [H2(SO4)] electrolyte outside the pipe bowl (5).
    [Show full text]
  • Session 4 Chemical Changes and Conservation of Matter
    Session 4 Chemical Changes and Conservation of Matter Where does the weight go when we “lose weight”? What happens when iron rusts? Why are exploding stars able to turn other elements into gold when the alchemists were not? In this session, we will extend and refine the par- ticle model by taking a closer look at the particles—atoms and molecules—and will discover how the law of con- servation of matter applies to chemical changes. The Video We begin our investigation into the nature of particles by observing that they have distinct sizes and shapes. Is this the explanation for the “missing volume” of the shaken mixture of water and alcohol in Session 3? Our hosts introduce the idea of chemical changes and show an example of one way that they are distinguished from physical changes. Throughout this session, we visit Rebecca Cituk’s classroom in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where we listen as her sixth graders discuss the differences between chemical changes and physical changes and elements and com- pounds, and perform a classic experiment to see if matter is conserved in a chemical change. We return to the Science Studio where the interviewer uses a different approach—manipulatives—to help Cameron, a fifth grade student, explore a chemical change in which two clear liquids combine to form an opaque white solid. Both of these instances raise the following question: What happens on the particle level that makes chemical changes dif- ferent from physical changes? We then take a step back as science historian Mimi Kim takes us on a historical journey through the development of the modern science of chemistry, beginning with Étienne Geoffroy’s “affinity table” in 1718.
    [Show full text]