Question

What is atom economy? Explain any two applications of nanomaterials.

Hint:

Atom economy is a theoretical measure of reaction efficiency, unlike percentage yield, which is an experimental measure. A reaction can have a 100% yield but a very low atom economy if it produces many unwanted byproducts.

Answer 1

Part 1: Atom Economy
Atom economy is a concept in green chemistry that measures the efficiency of a chemical reaction in converting reactants into the desired product. It is calculated as the ratio of the formula weight of the desired product to the sum of the formula weights of all reactants, multiplied by 100.
\[ % \, \text{Atom Economy} = \frac{\text{Formula weight of desired product}}{\text{Sum of formula weights of all reactants}} \times 100 \] A higher atom economy means less waste is generated.
Part 2: Applications of Nanomaterials

Catalysis: Nanoparticles have a very high surface area-to-volume ratio, which makes them extremely efficient catalysts. For example, gold nanoparticles are used as catalysts in various industrial processes, and platinum nanoparticles are used in catalytic converters in automobiles to reduce harmful emissions.
Medicine and Drug Delivery: Nanomaterials can be designed to target specific cells or tissues in the body. For instance, nanoparticles can be loaded with drugs and functionalized to bind only to cancer cells, delivering the therapeutic agent directly to the tumor while minimizing damage to healthy surrounding tissues.