Topic: I will answer chemistry questions - page 2. (Read 8563 times)

Thank you, tip sent ;-)

So how do they ensure that there is no hydrogen cyanide in what I take ? ?

How is the Sodium 2-propylpentanoate made ?

Valproic acid, 2-propylvaleric acid, is synthesized by the alkylation of cyanoacetic ester with two moles of propylbromide, to give dipropylcyanoacetic ester. Hydrolysis and decarboxylation of the carboethoxy group gives dipropylacetonitrile, which is hydrolyzed into valproic acid.

Sodium 2-propylpentanoate is just a rather simple aliphatic organic acid.

3-ethyl-3-methylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione is also known as Ethosuximide.


The synthesis uses several chemicals which are rather nasty, such as hydrogen cyanide and ammonia, but with proper care and safety precautions they can be handled on large scales with little risk.

Both of your chemicals of interest are derived from petrochemicals currently. I would not say they are any more environmentally unfriendly than all the other plastics and such which people use all the time and are also derived from petrochemicals.

Do you have experience with the preparation of samples for ESI mass spectrometry?

So today I actually do have a question for you. I'd like to know roughly what an answer will cost before you delve in.

I dont have a choice of course, but, if it is in fact made by enviromentally dubious processes or in a way that impacts the health of the makers I'd like to know. Is it made from crude oil or from air or plants or what ?

I've googled but not found much. The second drug is made in many places in the world, the first is a bit more unusual.

The first drug's chemical name is 3-ethyl-3-methylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione
The second's name is sodium 2-propylpentanoate

So my question is this. What is the raw material, and where does that come from? And how, roughly are these chemicals produced. I am not interested in how they are put into capsules or anything like that, since that would be the same for any medicine.

Ethosuximide, 3-ethyl-3-methypyrrolidine-2,5-dione is synthesized from methylethylketone and cyanoacetic ester, which undergo a Knoevenagel condensation. Then hydrogen cyanide is added. After acidic hydrolysis and decarboxylation of the synthesized dinitrile, 2-methyl-2-ethylsuccinic acid is formed. Reacting this product with ammonia gives the diammonium salt, and heterocyclization into ethosuximide takes place during subsequent heating.

You sell massive stars or unobtanium?

About seven times the mass of our own sun, I can sell you some for bitcoins.

As a star collapses, we get heavier and heavier elements being created due to nuclear fusion.

What size of star is required to implode in order to create the element Unobtanium?

Hrm, let's see: he is taking CO2 + H2 -> CO + H2O, but he doesn't want to start with C. Trying to do some carbon sequestering of atmospheric CO2?

CO can be added to meat packaging to prevent spoilage.

CO can be used in some chemical reactions as a starting material. (One reaction I run sometimes is hydroformylation, where CO and H2 are added to an alkene to form an aldehyde).

what possible use would you have for making carbon monoxide?

what possible use would you have for making carbon monoxide?

I'm trying to revolutionize the world, of course (like any self-respecting scientist). And this is the part I'd like to keep secret for a while longer, though I'd say google could probably tell you why if you search around the topic a bit. And my masterplan requires me to generate CO from H2 and CO2; reduction of O2, CO2 or H2O with C is not an option.

How to Break Bad?

Richy_T, thats certainly something to bear in mind. But am still stuck how to (chemically if possible as I do not have a robotic staming machine!) transfer the private key image to the metal.

Any further ideas welcome.

I have a question for you - and guess what, its bitcoin related!! Chemistry, I dont know, but you seem like a bit of a lateral thinker so here goes.

I'd like to manufacture a china mug, that like a casacus (can I even spell that!!) coin has a hidden private key inside it. I imagine that there would be a hollow botom in the mug and the key place in the compartment before it was fired. In this way it really is almost impossible to get at the key without obviously breaking the mug, or x-raying it which I assume is beyond a normal persons methods.

One technique is to "print" the key on to thin tungsten foil - such is available at reasonable cost, and this would not melt at the firing temperature of normal pottery. So you could use a stamp and stamp it on for example, you could do this by hand in theory. But this wont work because the process must be 100% error free - the only way you would find out a mistake had been made is when the mug is smashed and the private key does not work, (and you loose your bitcoins!!) so a better way to do this is needed. In practice, I need a way to photographically do this from a printout of the key from a normal printer. Some sort of UV sensative coating that I could contact print from, possibly develop, and then perhaps as a result of the firing or perhaps not would etch the metal so that it could reliably and certainly be read. Or can I glaze or enamel a tungsten foil photographiclly? What about a platinotype on a tungsten base? Too complex, methinks. (And expensive!!) Its got to be pretty certain to work, or capable of being checked for readability before insertion.

In truth I am dead-ended here and would welcome any further ideas from the OP or someone else. I want a bitcoin piggy bank, that truly has to be smashed to release its contents!! How cool would that be?