Chemical engineering molecular level

A major force behind this evolntion will be the explosion of new products and materials that will enter the market dnring the next two decades. Whether from the biotechnology industry, the electronics industry, or the high-performance materials indnstry, these products will be critically dependent on structure and design at the molecular level for their usefulness. They will require manufacturing processes that can precisely control their chemical composition and stracture. These demands will create new opportunities for chemical engineers, both in product design and in process irmovation. 

A wide variety of chemical engineering research frontiers involve advanced materials and belong in the mainstream of academic chemical engineering departments. The following list of frontiers ranges from the molecular level to the systems level. 

The study of materials has traditionally centered on the influence of molecular composition and microstracture on mechanical, electrical, optical, and chemical properties. At the molecular level are a variety of research frontiers that can profitably draw chemical engineers into close collaboration with physical and theoretical chemists. They include the following research areas. 

Fig. 9.6 Tailored SAMs for surface engineering provides the control of the surface physical properties, chemical reactivity and heterogeneity on the molecular level, a) Self-assembly of one kind of surface active compound results in homogeneous monolayers, b) Adsorption of two components give ride to mixed SAMs, combining the physical and...

Now we turn to the origin of the rate laws themselves. How do molecules of ozone change into molecules of oxygen What atomic interactions turn a mixture of fuel and air into carbon dioxide and water when it ignites in an engine What is really going on in terms of atoms high in the atmosphere as CFC molecules punch holes in the ozone layer Chemical kinetics and particularly the rate law for a reaction provide the kind of information we need to build a model of the reaction at a molecular level. 

From different disciplines, biotechnology and biocatalysis are seen from very dif ferent angles and perspectives (Figure 1.1). Chemistry and chemists emphasize a molecularly-oriented perspective dominated by compounds and transformations, whereas chemical engineering and thus chemical engineers favor a process-oriented perspective of reactions and processes lastly, biology and its practitioners contribute a systems-oriented perspective of description at the organism level as well as in their view of evolution. 

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