Oct 20, 2023 06:00:00

Only 1% of chemical substances have been discovered so far, how are new chemical substances searched for?

It is said that there are billions of

chemical substances in the universe, but it is thought that humans have been able to identify only 1% of them so far. It is expected that new chemical substances that have not been discovered so far may become a solution to the greenhouse gas problem or cause advances in the medical field like penicillin . Scientists are continuing their research with great enthusiasm.

Only 1% of chemical compounds have been discovered – here's how we search for others that could change the world
https://theconversation.com/only-1-of-chemical-compounds-have-been-discovered-heres-how-we-search-for-others-that-could-change-the-world-211302

Since Russian chemist

Dmitri Mendeleev invented the periodic table of elements in 1869, scientists have discovered a variety of atoms. In modern times, materials are being searched for using methods such as nuclear fusion, and in 2010, tennessine , a synthetic element with atomic number 117, was discovered.

However, not only single atoms exist in the universe, but also various chemical substances that are made up of combinations of multiple atoms, such as water, which is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. According to Matthew Adicoat of Nottingham Trent University, chemists are conducting research every day to create new chemicals.

Compounds made of two atoms, such as nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2), are called ' diatomic molecules .' According to Mr. Adikoto, it is thought that it takes a team of chemists approximately one year to create one compound, which is an enormous amount of time to create all of the 6,903 types of diatomic molecules that theoretically exist. It takes time.

In addition, it is thought that there are approximately 1.6 million types of '

triatomic molecules ' formed by combining three atoms such as H20 and C02, and as the number of atoms increases to 4 atoms and 5 atoms, the number of molecules increases exponentially. The number of combinations will increase. Furthermore, the discovery and manufacturing process can be difficult depending on the structure and stability of the compound.

Still, some chemists are working on creating compounds that cannot exist by nature's rules, and have so far demonstrated that they do not generally combine with other atoms in special laboratory facilities that can recreate conditions in deep space. We have succeeded in creating ' argon fluorine hydride ,' which is a compound of rare gas atoms.

As a way to create unknown new compounds from known compounds, Mr. Adikoto suggests ``changing the atoms contained in existing compounds'' and ``adding new raw materials when causing an existing chemical reaction.'' doing. The former involves adding, removing, or replacing atoms in a known compound to slightly change the properties of the compound, while the latter uses a similar chemical reaction but changes the final product. It is believed that the compounds produced may be completely different.

However, both of these methods require a 'base compound.' Therefore, it is not possible to create an unknown number of compounds from scratch. Therefore, chemists observe nature as a hint for discovering new compounds. In 1928, British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered a phenomenon in which blue mold attached to culture dishes prevented the growth of bacteria. Later, the chemical substance produced by this mold was named ``penicillin,'' and it had a great influence on subsequent medical developments.

In 1945, British chemist Dorothy Hodgkin identified the chemical structure of penicillin. It has been discovered that part of the structure of penicillin has a structure in which atoms are arranged in a square shape, which had hardly been predicted until now. However, it is difficult for humans to create penicillin from scratch, and even today it is considered easier and cheaper to extract it by culturing mold.

There is a possibility that there are various compounds in the natural world that humans have not been able to create, and chemists who are searching for new compounds conduct their research by drawing inspiration from the natural world.