Although I am not sure what topic I would like to research, nuclear energy is on the top of my list. Due to decreasing supplies of fossil fuels and other sources of non-renewable energy, it is important that we soon find new sources of energy to replace those that will one day run out (http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2005/February/Thenuclearsolution.asp). Nuclear energy, if it can be harnessed safely and cheaply, could serve as a feasible replacement. I would like to examine nuclear fission (the breaking apart of a large particle into two or more smaller particles) and nuclear fusion (the combining of two or more particles) reactions, focusing on the energy that is released in these reactions. I plan to research how efficient these reactions are, how expensive the raw materials of the reaction are, the cost of disposing of waste from these reactions, and possible dangers of relying on nuclear energy.
Another possible topic which I have considered researching is the effectiveness of antibacterial soap. There is currently a debate in the scientific community about whether antibacterial soap kills germs more effectively than normal soap. Additionally, some scientists theorize that antibacterial soap also kills healthy skin cells. There are studies that support both sides of this argument. But which is true? If I were to select this topic, I would compare the chemical reactions that occur when normal soap and when antibacterial soap come into contact with one’s skin. Additional information on this topic can be found at:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/question692.htm &
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213399&page=1.
A third possible topic is nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a fairly new concept that deals with very tiny particles, smaller than 100 nanometers (http://www.livescience.com/nanotechnology/). Although mostly theoretical, nanotechnology advocates suspect that one day scientists will be able to construct large structures by combining individual atoms and relying on the chemical properties of the atoms to form predictable structures. If I were to select this topic, I would research why nanotechnology works and current advances in nanotechnology. More information on nanotechnology can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology.
~Rick
2 comments:
Thank you for your in depth and insightful comment, Ricardo. I also added that nano-technology would be interesting, and I see that it is of interest to you as well. I think that it is a very intriguing topic, and you should investigate it.
Ah. . . nanotechnology has recently caught my attention as well. Mostly because I THOUGHT I knew what it was, but have decided that I needed more info. found interesting info about "nanochemistry" specifically. Go figure.
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