Curiosity

In spite of these limitations it is hoped that this chapter will provide an introduction to the unusual phenomena that chemically reacting systems exlribit when driven far from equilibrium and an indication of how these phenomena may be analysed. Although such systems were often regarded as curiosities in the past, it is now clear that they are the mle rather than the exception in nature and deserve our full attention. 

Contrary to the impression that one might have from a traditional course in introductory calculus, well-behaved functions that cannot be integrated in closed form are not rare mathematical curiosities. Examples are the Gaussian or standard error function and the related function that gives the distribution of molecular or atomic speeds in spherical polar coordinates. The famous blackbody radiation cuiwe, which inspired Planck s quantum hypothesis, is not integrable in closed form over an arbitiar y inteiwal. 

The metal was a laboratory curiosity until Kroll, in 1946, showed that titanium could be produced commercially by reducing titanium tetrachloride with magnesium. This method is largely used for producing the metal today. The metal can be purified by decomposing the iodide. 

For the past year Strike had been in consultation with contract labs over the making of phenylisopropyl alcohols using sulfuric acid and allylbenzenes (don t ask). The lab owners would listen patiently as Strike primitively described how and why an OH should go on the beta carbon. And without exception, the lab owners would point out to Strike that the best way to get an OH on the beta carbon would be to put a Br there first. But Strike don t wanna put a Br there first Strike would say, Strike wants the OH put on directly using sulfuric acid " The lab guys had to do what Strike said because Strike was holding all the money (...a fool and her money etc.). But out of curiosity Strike asked how they would get that Br on the beta carbon. Every one of them said it was simply a matter of using the 48% HBr in acetic acid. They even showed Strike their stock solutions (usually from Aldrich or Fisher). 

We conclude this chapter and wrap up the last three chapters with a few remarks about the application of the ideas contained herein to polymer technology. Chapters 2-4 have been concerned with various aspects of the mechanical states of polymers. The opinion was expressed in Chap. 1 that if polymers did not possess the mechanical properties they have, this whole class of compounds might be relegated to the category of laboratory curiosities. On the basis of any number of criteria-the number of scientists employed, the number of industries involved, the number of publications released, the number of patents issued—polymer science proves to be very viable indeed. 

Ring stmcture and location of the aldehyde group were estabUshed by the efforts of Baeyer, Markwald, and Harries (11—14). For some time, furfural was a laboratory curiosity and a compounding ingredient of perfumes. 

Both the binary and complex fluorides of aluminum have played a significant role in the aluminum industry. Aluminum trifluoride [7784-18-17, A1F., and its trihydrate [15098-87-0] 3 3H2O, have thus far remained to be the only binary fluorides of industrial interest. The nonahydrate [15098-89-2] 3 9H2O, and the monohydrate [12252-28-7, 15621 -55-3], AIF 20, are of only academic curiosity. The monofluoride [13595-82-9], AIF, and the difluoride [13569-23-8], AIF2, have been observed as transient species at high temperatures. 

Copolymeis of ethylene [74-85-1] and tetiafluoioethylene [116-14-3] (ETFE) have been alaboiatory curiosity for more than 40 years. These polymers were studied in connection with a search for a melt-fabricable PTFE resin (1 5) interest in them fell with the discovery of TFE—HFP (FEP) copolymers (6). In the 1960s, however, it became evident that a melt-fabricable fluorocarbon resin was needed with higher strength and stiffness than those of PTFE resins. Earlier studies indicated that TFE—ethylene copolymers [11939-51 -6] might have the right combination of properties. Subsequent research efforts (7) led to the introduction of modified ethylene—tetrafluoroethylene polymer [25038-71-5] (Tefzel) by E. I. du Pont de Nemours Co., Inc, in 1970. 

In 1974, a petition for affiimation of the GRAS status of miracle fmit was submitted by the Miralin Company, mainly based on the fact that miracle fmits have been consumed by humans since before 1958. In 1977, the petition was denied by the FDA. However, miraculin remains a research curiosity. Its stmcture was elucidated in 1989 (125). Another protein, curculin [151404-13-6] (126), has also been reported to exert a sweet-inducing activity similar to miraculin. 

The value of presenting original work, whether curiosity-driven or appHed, should not be overlooked. A great many technical service professionals have extraordinary expertise in some areas of substantial specialization. It is not often straightforward to identify persons with such expertise in a given area. Presentation of a paper or conducting a seminar ia one s field of expertise can provide a critical link in the search process customers use to seek assistance on technical issues. 

Sodium cyanide [143-33-9] NaCN, is a white cubic crystalline soHd commonly called white cyanide. It was first prepared in 1834 by heating Pmssian blue, a mixture of cyanogen compounds of iron, and sodium carbonate and extracting sodium cyanide from the cooled mixture using alcohol. Sodium cyanide remained a laboratory curiosity until 1887, when a process was patented for the extraction of gold and silver from ores by means of a dilute solution of cyanide (see Metallurgy, extractive). A mixture of sodium and potassium cyanides, produced by Edenmeyer s improvement of the Rodgers process, was marketed in 1890. 

The other main source of various pyridopyridazines from pyridines are the [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions, already mentioned (Section 2.15.8.3), between vinylpyridines and azodicarboxylic esters (79T2027, 79KGS639) or triazolidinediones e.g. 78KGS651). 2-Vinyl-pyridines gave reduced pyrido[3,2-c]pyridazines (370), 4-vinylpyridines gave [3,4-c] analogues, whilst 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine furnishes a mixture of the [2,3-c] and [4,3-c] compounds. Yields are low, however, and these remain curiosities for practical synthetic purposes. 

These studies trace the evolution of penicillin investigations from microbiological curiosity through the development of increasing therapeutic utility to increasingly sophisticated chemical manipulations. This chapter will focus primarily on the chemical aspects of this area. Because of the vast amount of relevant literature, it has been possible to discuss only selected studies which hopefully are representative of the different investigative directions. The reader is urged to consult the cited references for more detailed discussion and for references to related studies. 

Introduction The enchanting flame has held a special mystery and charm the world over for thousands of years. According to Greek myth, Prometheus the Titan stole fire from the heavens and gave it to mortals—an act for which he was swiftly punished. Early people made use of it anyway. Soon the ancients came to regard fire as one of the basic elements of the world. It has since become the famihar sign of the hearth and the mark of youth and blood—as well as the object of intense curiosity and scientific investigation. 

This material had poor hydrolytic stability and was no more than a laboratory curiosity. Treatment with sodium trifluoroethoxide and heptafluorobutoxide has recently been found to yield a useful fluorophosphazene polymer ... 

Until the early 1960s the aromatic and cycloaliphatic polyamides were largely laboratory curiosities. By 1980 they were still only of minor importance to the plastics industry but of rapidly expanding interest as fibre-forming materials with a particular potential as tyre cord materials. 

Melamine (I,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-triazine) was first prepared by Liebig in 1835. For a hundred years the material remained no more than a laboratory curiosity until Henkel patented the production of resins by condensation with formaldehyde. Today large quantities of melamine-formaldehyde resins are used in the manufacture of moulding compositions, laminates, adhesives, surface coatings and other applications. Although in many respects superior in properties to the urea-based resins they are also significantly more expensive. 

This outline case-history is an excellent example of a parepisteme which began as a metallurgical curiosity and developed, at a leisurely pace, into a well-understood phenomenon, from which it became, at a much accelerated pace, an important industrial process. 

Parepistemes grow from an individual s curiosity, which in turn ignites curiosity in others if a piece of research is directly aimed at solving a specific practical problem, then it is part of mainline research and not a parepisteme at all. However, the improvement of a technique used for solving practical problems constitutes a parepisteme. 

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