Molecular Magic

The thing about molecules is that nobody has ever seen one. So, what scientists do with them seems like magic. The atoms in oil have a special magic. They're what plastics are made of. Schematic models show how molecules have rearranged our lives. Our very food is wrapped in them. Nothing can ever be the same again in our everyday world or in the promise of our future. Synthetics for the new world as we take matter into our own hands to make such diverse things as sutures to bind our bodies or insulation for the wires of industry. To suit any need, we create our raw materials by rearranging the matter that we find in oil. An artful science called petrochemistry. Oil contains many raw materials. But all are made of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms lashed together in different patterns. The most versatile molecules in nature. Refineries separate the raw materials from each other. Each material is different because the pattern of its molecules is different. For eons, only nature shaped these molecules. Now we can arrange the atoms and make new matter of our own. Man-made fibers do many jobs better than nature's do. They do old jobs new ways. Adding to the variety of nature's forms. Polypropylene rope Polypropylene combines strength and lightness. Nylon rope has the strength of steel. Water pipe that isn't iron. Conventional matter replaced by lighter stuff. A new category of matter for handling endless problems. Well-made ships never touch the sea. They're protected from salt water by petrochemical paint. Synthetic materials are so called only because man made them. Like synthetic rubber for the diver's suit. Through petrochemistry, oil shows up in mysterious ways. A plastic button. A synthetic thread. The only part not created by man is the woman. New clothing for all parts of the world. In some places, plastic shoes are cheapest and best for the climate. So many products now start in the chemistry lab. Yet, petrochemistry is so new that most people in it remember the early days. An historic demonstration from the 30s when the science was young. From a unique rearranging of the atoms in oil came rubber from a test tube instead of a tree. Nature's rubber comes one way only. We make it differently for different uses. Sometimes our ingenuity has mixed results. Detergent foam. Household detergents are a boon to mankind. But they're made from a synthetic that bacteria refuse to eat. So the suds don't always wash away. And this is no way to enjoy a river. The solution to reshape detergent molecules to create new ones even with atomic radiation. To make detergents that bacteria may love to eat. Inquiring minds search in places which sometimes lead somewhere and sometimes don't. A witches brew of some secret items derived from oil. Mix, heat, ladle, BANG, AND POUND. RESEARCH THAT LED TO A man-made rock and a plastic road that can be made in any color. New glamour and usefulness for roads, patios, and runways. Muddy water. Some research has strange beginnings. Petroleum engineers had asked how water pressure might be increased inside an oil well. While seeking an answer, possible solutions were found to other obscure problems like construction underwater in muddy rivers. Researchers made a chemical with a unique property. Typically, their answer raised new questions. Just a pinch would almost instantly settle mud. What might this have to do with muddy waters? How in the world could the same material concern fighting fire? The question is raised because we know that water puts out fires, and we can now imagine adding something to the water. Something that could thicken it and increase its capacity to smother the flames. Hope and reality. Plastic hypodermics. They're marvelously cheap. So, they can be made disposable. Sterile until used. The disposables are a blessing where hospitals are scarce. Up to its ears in agriculture, petrochemistry makes fertilizers for the food we eat and the fodder of our livestock. Whether in food or food preservatives, everywhere we find the changeable molecules in oil. In furniture and furs and futuristic homes. In surprising places. In plastic domes and a hundred parts of the family car. In goods and things and stuff you wouldn't think of, like printer's ink. Film of all kinds. Frivolities, like sponges or balloons. Suntan lotion. Wax for skis and ski boots. All kinds of delights for recreation. The ball, the shirts, the helmets, the shoes. Everything petrochemical except the tears. A strange one. A plastic blimp to house a tennis court. Balls with any kind of bounce. Telephones and toys. Petrochemistry has made new industries, opened innumerable areas of research. Sophisticated fuels. Dishes. dresses, and other kinds of clothes. The list is thousands long and growing. More and more, our present and our future are matters of our making. Nothing can ever be the same again.