Words to know
emerging technology
A technology that is new or rapidly developing and is not yet widely used.
green chemistry
Designing chemical products and processes that reduce or remove the use and creation of hazardous substances.
bioplastic
A plastic made from plant materials (such as corn starch or sugarcane) instead of petroleum, or one that can break down by biological processes.
carbon capture
Technology that traps carbon dioxide from smokestacks or the air so it does not enter the atmosphere.
nanomaterial
A material with particles or structures about 1 to 100 nanometres in size (a nanometre is one-billionth of a metre).
corrosion
The gradual breakdown of a metal by chemical reactions with substances around it, such as rusting of iron.
skilled trade
A career that requires specialized hands-on training, often through an apprenticeship, such as welder, electrician or hairstylist.
Chemistry on the job
A hairstylist mixes a dye whose chemicals react inside each hair strand. A welder fills the air around a weld with argon gas. An automotive service technician disconnects an electric car's high-voltage battery and checks the WHMIS label on a coolant. None of them would call themselves chemists, but they use chemistry every day.
New chemical technologies are changing these jobs, and many others. In this lesson you will look at some emerging chemical technologies, analyse their impacts, and figure out what decides whether a new idea actually gets used.
Five emerging chemical technologies
1. Battery recycling. Electric vehicles and phones use lithium-ion batteries containing lithium, cobalt and nickel. Recycling plants shred used batteries into a powder called "black mass", then dissolve it in solutions and separate the metals as compounds that can be made into new batteries. Positive: less mining, less waste. Negative: the processes use chemicals and energy, and batteries can catch fire if damaged during handling.
2. Bioplastics. Some plastics, such as PLA (polylactic acid), are made from plant sugars instead of petroleum. Positive: they come from a renewable source. Negative: many only break down in industrial composting facilities, not in a backyard compost or the ocean, and growing the crops uses land, water and fertilizer.
3. Green chemistry. Chemists redesign products to be less hazardous: water-based paints with fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cleaning products without harsh acids, and processes that make less waste. Positive: healthier air for painters and families. Negative: new formulas can cost more or work differently, so trades workers must learn new methods.
4. Carbon capture. Some facilities capture CO₂ before it reaches the air and store it deep underground; Canada has large projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan. A Nova Scotia company has developed a way to inject captured CO₂ into fresh concrete, where it reacts to form a mineral (calcium carbonate) that stays locked in the concrete. Positive: less CO₂ in the atmosphere. Negative: expensive, and capturing CO₂ uses energy; critics worry it can be used as a reason to keep burning fossil fuels.
5. Nanomaterials. Tiny particles can have new properties. Silver nanoparticles kill bacteria and are added to some clothing and bandages. Positive: reduced odour and infection. Negative: the particles can wash out into wastewater, and scientists are still studying their effects on ecosystems.
Artificial intelligence in chemistry (A2.2)
Finding a new material used to mean making and testing thousands of compounds by hand. Today, researchers use artificial intelligence (AI) systems trained on data about known compounds to predict the properties of compounds that have never been made, such as better battery materials or catalysts. Chemists then make and test the most promising ones. AI can speed up discovery, but its predictions must still be checked by experiments, and new jobs are appearing for people who understand both chemistry and data.
Hands-on activityDesign a fair test for a trade problem: protecting steel from rust
Automotive service technicians and auto body workers in Ontario see a lot of rust caused by road salt. Your job: design and run a test of coatings that might protect steel.
You need: 4 plain steel nails (not shiny galvanized ones) or 4 steel paper clips, 4 clear cups, salt water (1 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup of water), labels, and three coatings such as vegetable oil, petroleum jelly and candle wax rubbed on (no heating). Gloves are a good idea.
Safety: nails are sharp; wash your hands after handling rusty metal; don't use paints or solvents.
- Question: which coating best protects steel from rusting in salt water?
- Label the cups: no coating (control), oil, petroleum jelly, wax.
- Coat each nail evenly (leave the control bare). Put each in its cup and pour in the same amount of salt water.
- Predict which will rust least, and why.
- Observe every day for 5 days. Record the amount of orange-brown rust (none, a little, some, a lot) and take photos.
- Conclusion: which coating worked best? Was it a fair test? How would a real technician or engineer improve it?
What to look for: the uncoated nail should rust first and most; coatings that stay on and keep water and oxygen away (often the petroleum jelly) protect best. Rust is a chemical change (iron reacting with oxygen and water), sped up by salt. A good report names the independent variable (coating), dependent variable (amount of rust) and controlled variables (nail type, salt water amount and strength, temperature, time).