From methane to chemical communication

Molecules are assembled from atoms of the chemical elements. Many elements form multiple chemical bonds in molecules. Among the elements, carbon is unique in its ability to form chains of atoms endlessly long. The structural chemistry of carbon is the richest of that for all the elements. 

When I was a child, I had three toys that provided endless possibilities a set of wooden blocks, a set of Tinkertoys, and an Erector Set. These three toys had a lot in common. Each had a nnmber of distinct strnctnral elements that could be assembled in an amazing nnmber of ways to create something new and different. This has a direct analogy to the concept of assembling molecnles from atoms the atoms are the strnctnral elements and they can be hooked together to make molecular constructs in a great many ways. 

SO that molecules are usually stable uuder ordiuary couditious of temperature aud pressure. 

The Tiukertoy aud Erector Sets were basically similar to woodeu blocks iu haviug a family of distiuct parts that could be assembled iu mauy differeut ways to create differeut outcomes. They were differeut iu oue importaut aspect the pieces couuected iu a way that made the growiug structures stable. These couuectious worked a good bit better thau gravity. They provided stability, just as chemical bouds provide stability for molecules. 

By the time that our childreu came aloug, Lego had pretty much replaced woodeu blocks, Tiukertoys, aud Erector Sets as the medium of coustructiou. But the uuderlyiug idea was the same a set of differeut structural uuits that could be assembled iu a jiUiou differeut ways with a jiUiou differeut outcomes. Lego was au improvemeut over my toys more diverse parts aud easier to achieve structural stability. 

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Methane is the simplest, most abundant, and geographically most widely distributed hydrocarbon. It therefore receives constantly increasing attention as an alternate energy source to coal and petroleum from both the world fuels industry and from the science and engineering community to broaden its utility and enhance its transportability by energy-efficient conversion to liquid hydrocarbons and functional chemical raw materials. 

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