Undergrad research (Sonicator) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Undergrad (Sonicator) - Research Paper Example The production of methanol was done through the distillation of wood. Methanol today is industrially synthesized from a nonstoichiometric mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide over Cu/ZnO/AL203 catalysts. Methanol is an industrial chemical used as raw material in the manufacture of solvents such as formaldehyde and producing acids, for example, acetic acid through hydroformylation. Synthesis of methanol is crucial due to wide usage of methanol in industries. Sonicator (Ultrasonic) is one method used to manufacture methanol (Eta, Valerie, 71). Ultrasonic is a phenomenon used in reactive chemical whereby ultrasound energy of approximate 20 kHz is used to agitate the reactants. This method is efficient because necessary temperature and energy are generated by ultrasonic machine. Methanol is a short chain alcohol that is immiscible. The use of the sonicator or ultrasonic is to synthesize methanol in a reaction entitled as transesterification. Catalytic functional group in methanol is methoxide (CH3O-) which is formed when methanol reacts with a strong base or when metals like potassium react with anhydrous methanol (Arutyunov, Vladimir, 95). Mechanism of ultrasonic effect on esterification was illustrated experimentally using bubble- dynamic model where ultrasound energy and micro bubbles in the reactor increased the interface formed between the triglyceride and methanol emulsion, thus considered a physical reaction and not a chemical reaction (Eta, Valerie, 103). There seems to be the best use of the sonicator and why it is mainly used for the production of methanol. The use of Sonification is good as it has led to the production of more methanol and carbon while using less energy. The use of Sonification makes it possible for synthesis of methanol via the use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which leads to the water-gas shift formation and surface morphology effects. However, because the use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen is a two-way step,