Synthetic life

It has still not been possible to obtain complete clarity and consensus on a definition of the modern terms artificial life and synthetic life . 

We are getting ever closer to the goal of synthetic life, and when that is achieved we will see more clearly the kinds of molecular systems that were likely to have assembled in the prebiotic environment to produce the first forms of life. 

Synthetic life engineer bacteria to develop drugs that can be extracted from rare plants but at very high cost. 

Each of the elements has a number of isotopes (2,4), all radioactive and some of which can be obtained in isotopicaHy pure form. More than 200 in number and mosdy synthetic in origin, they are produced by neutron or charged-particle induced transmutations (2,4). The known radioactive isotopes are distributed among the 15 elements approximately as follows actinium and thorium, 25 each protactinium, 20 uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, californium, einsteinium, and fermium, 15 each herkelium, mendelevium, nobehum, and lawrencium, 10 each. There is frequently a need for values to be assigned for the atomic weights of the actinide elements. Any precise experimental work would require a value for the isotope or isotopic mixture being used, but where there is a purely formal demand for atomic weights, mass numbers that are chosen on the basis of half-life and availabiUty have customarily been used. A Hst of these is provided in Table 1. 

Antioxidants (qv) have a positive effect on oils when present in the proper concentration. Sterols and tocopherols, which are natural antioxidants, may be analy2ed by gas-Hquid chromatography (glc), high performance Hquid chromatography (hplc), or thin-layer chromatography (tic). Synthetic antioxidants maybe added by processors to improve the performance or shelf life of products. These compounds include butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), / fZ-butyUiydroquinone (TBHQ), and propyl gallate. These materials may likewise be analy2ed by glc, hplc, or tic. Citric acid (qv), which functions as a metal chelator, may also be deterrnined by glc. 

To overcome these difficulties, drilling fluids are treated with a variety of mud lubricants available from various suppHers. They are mostly general-purpose, low toxicity, nonfluorescent types that are blends of several anionic or nonionic surfactants and products such as glycols and glycerols, fatty acid esters, synthetic hydrocarbons, and vegetable oil derivatives. Extreme pressure lubricants containing sulfurized or sulfonated derivatives of natural fatty acid products or petroleum-base hydrocarbons can be quite toxic to marine life and are rarely used for environmental reasons. Diesel and mineral oils were once used as lubricants at levels of 3 to 10 vol % but this practice has been curtailed significantly for environmental reasons. 

There are a vast number of quaternary ammonium compounds or quaternaries (1). Many are naturally occurring and have been found to be cmcial in biochemical reactions necessary for sustaining life. A wide range of quaternaries are also produced synthetically and are commercially available. Over 204,000 metric tons of quaternary ammonium compounds are produced aimuaHy in the United States (2). These have many diverse appHcations. Most are eventually formulated and make their way to the marketplace to be sold in consumer products. AppHcations range from cosmetics (qv) to hair preparations (qv) to clothes softeners, sanitizers for eating utensils, and asphalt emulsions. 

Generally, labeled compounds are prepared by procedures which introduce the radionuchde at a late stage of the synthesis. This allows for maximum radiochemical yields, and reduces the handling time of radioactive material. When dealing with short half-life isotopes, a primary consideration is the time required to conduct synthetic procedures and purification methods. 

CSPE. Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE), a synthetic mbber manufactured by DuPont, is marketed under the name Hypalon. It can be produced as a self-curing elastomer designed to cure on the roof. The membrane is typically reinforced with polyester and is available in finished thicknesses of 0.75 to 1.5 mm. Because CSPE exhibits thermoplastic characteristics before it cures, it offers heat-weldable seams. After exposure on the roof, the membrane cures offering the toughness and mechanical set of a thermoset. The normal shelf life of the membrane for maintaining this thermoplastic characteristic is approximately six months. After the membrane is fully cured in the field, conventional adhesives are needed to make repairs. 

Tetraterpenes. Carotenoids make up the most important group of C q terpenes and terpenoids, although not all carotenoids contain 40 carbon atoms. They are widely distributed in plant, marine, and animal life. It has been estimated that nature produces about 100 million t/yr of carotenoids synthetic production amounts to several hundred tons per year (207,208). 

Oxirane is used as a fumigant for grain and a sterilant e.g. for space vehicles bound for putative abodes of life), but mainly for the manufacture of 1,2-ethanediol ( ethylene glycol ), emulsifiers, plastics and resins (below), plasticizers, synthetic rubber and synthetic fibers. Methyloxirane is used mainly to make detergents, hydraulic fiuids and lubricants. 

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