Experimenting with biodiesel
The synthesis of biodiesel is exploited to teach general chemistry principles and as a way of fostering a 'green conscience' within undergraduate chemistry students
As a result of the hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which caused damage to petroleum producers in the Gulf of Mexico, coupled with unrest in the Middle East, many Americans find themselves paying dramatically higher prices for any product with connections to petroleum. Not surprisingly, their interest in home-grown fuels, such as biodiesel, is growing. This prompted me to think about using biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters or FAMEs) to teach general chemistry principles, especially since the synthesis of biodiesel is a green process. (At this time, however, the large-scale synthesis of biodiesel from virgin oils is not cost effective compared with petroleum-based diesel without government subsidies.)
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