Oxygen molecule discovery

Even more rapid reaction can be produced if oxygen and fuel are provided in a single chemical molecule. The discovery of nitroglycerine by Sobrero led to the first product of this type to achieve commercial importance. Nitroglycerine contains enough oxygen to bum all its own... 

Shortly after their discovery of lsO Giauque and Johnston (1929b) (see also Babcock (1929)) studied newer and more extensive data on the atmospheric absorption of sunlight. Here they found a band referred to as A" with band structure similar to the A and A bands but much weaker even than the A band. The spectral results agreed with the assignment of this band to the 17-16 02 molecule, and thereby they discovered the third and least abundant isotope of oxygen. 

The interest and activity in metal complex catalysis will continue to be marked by further advances in asymmetric catalysis and catalysis by solid metal complexes as well as in the discovery of new complexes capable of catalytically activating molecules such as hydrocarbons, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in a manner that permits new uses for these abundant materials. 

EXTENSIONS AND EXTRAPOLATIONS The loss of activity on lengthening the carbon chain on the meta-oxygen from two to three (from metaescaline to metaproscaline) discouraged any further exploration at this specific point of the molecule. The isopropyl analog (3,4-dimethoxy-5-(i)-propoxyphenethylamine, metaisoproscaline, MIP) was started and carried along as far as the aldehyde, and abandoned with the discovery that metaproscaline was without activity. There were other fish to fry. 

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