Organic compounds conducting electricity

Why do very few aqueous solutions of organic compounds conduct electricity ... 

Because it is a saturated aUphatic hydrocarbon, LLDPE does not conduct electricity, and so is widely used for wire and cable insulation. LLDPE is poorly permeable to water and inorganic gases and only slightly more so to organic compounds, whether Hquid or gas. 

In 1990, a test using scrap tires (2x2 in. I DE) to generate steam for electricity was conducted at the Elexsys plant. The I DE replaced 20% of the plant s coal. Results showed that IDE is an environmentally sound fuel. Particulate emissions were reduced by the lower ash content of IDE, volatile organic compounds (VOC) were reduced because of more efficient burning of I DE compared to coal, and carbon dioxide emissions were reduced because I DE contains half the fixed carbon found in coal. Nitrogen oxide, chlorine emissions, and metals were also reduced, and ferrous metals and dioxins were nondetectable (7). 

The alkali metals also release their valence electrons when they dissolve in liquid ammonia, but the outcome is different. Instead of reducing the ammonia, the electrons occupy cavities formed by groups of NH3 molecules and give ink-blue metal-ammonia solutions (Fig. 14.14). These solutions of solvated electrons (and cations of the metal) are often used to reduce organic compounds. As the metal concentration is increased, the blue gives way to a metallic bronze, and the solutions begin to conduct electricity like liquid metals. 

Metals have a sea of delocalized electrons that are not bound to specific nuclei, and these are responsible for both their high electrical and heat conductivities. Organic compounds do not ordinarily have such delocalized electrons, and are poor electrical and heat conductors. In fact, they are used to coat electrical wires as insulators. If polymers can be made to conduct, then they could be of a great deal of utility, as they are light, can be processed at low temperatures and pressures, and the raw material does not depend on metal mining. However, the possibility of a conducting polymer did not arise till very recent times. 

Severe hydroprocessing required to produce ultra-low sulfur fuel removes most of the polar organic compounds from the fuel. The resulting product is virtually unable to effectively dissipate static charge as it builds in moving fuel. Instead, electrical discharge into pockets of gas within a pipeline or into air and vapors as fuel is being dispensed can occur. An explosion may result. Low levels of a fuel-soluble electrical conductivity improver to ultra-low sulfur fuel can help restore fuel electrical conductivity to safe levels. 

Soluble ionic compounds tend to be strong electrolytes, while alcohols and organic compounds are nonelectrolytes. Remember that classification as a strong electrolyte, weak electrolyte, or nonelectrolyte is somewhat subjective. Freshwater can be either a weak electrolyte or a nonelectrolyte depending on its purity. The important consideration in classifying a substance is to what extent an aqueous solution of the substance will conduct electricity. 

The energy of a single photon is obviously insufficient to ionize an organic compound. As early as the nineteen forties (3, 4), however, it -was observed that Wurster blue cation radical is produced by photoirradiation of 3-methylpentane glass containing N,N-tetramethyl p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) at 77° K. The recent detailed study of this system by electric conductivity measurement (5, 6) and electronic spectroscopy (7) provided conclusive evidence that the ionization is brought about via excitation to the triplet state followed by successive photoabsorption at the triplet state. This mechanism is supported by the facts that the life-time of the photochemical intermediate is identical with that of phosphorescence and the formation of Wurster blue, and that phosphorescence is inhibited in the presence of triplet scavengers. 

Comparison of the electrical conductivities of chromium penta-phenyl hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and ammonia in absolute methyl alcohol and in methyl alcohol-water solution, shows that the former is a very strong base. In aqueous methyl alcohol solution the chromium compound does not appear to approach the limiting value with increasing dilution. The ultra-violet absorption spectrum examined in absolute ethyl alcohol solution resembles that of chromic acid and the dichromates, but the absorption is noticeably greater in the case of the organic compound. 

Initial studies of phenol SCWO Involved in extensive SCWO study Investigated the unique features of supercritical water in terms of density, dielectric constant, viscosity, diffusivity, electric conductance, and solvating ability Treatment of hazardous organic compounds Application of SCWO to the decomposition of sludges Found that sludge readily decomposes at near-critical water conditions with 02 or H202 as an oxidant in a batch or continuous flow reactor Treatment of sludges... 

Because of their electrical, optical, and redox properties as well as the thermal and chemical stability, the Pcs also have been tried in the detection of volatile organic compounds and poisonous gases, which is very important for environment and human health. In the past decades, the possible applications of Pc thin film as sensor for atmospheric gaseous pollutants have been extensively studied [73, 74], Langmuir-Blodgett films of some multinuclear and multidouble-decker lutetium Pcs have also been used for those measurements [75,76], More details about conductivity and sensing properties of Pcs can be found elsewhere [77,78]. 

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