Thermal Analysis of Petrochemicals

In 2018, the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry is pleased to offer a new free webinar series focused on contemporary topics from recognized leaders in the field. The third webinar of 2018 will feature two 20-minute presentations regarding innovations in the photochemistry of polymers with Brett Fors of Cornell University discussing polymer synthesis and Julia Kalow of Northwestern University discussing polymer properties.

As chemical reactions are scaled from lab to manufacturing, potential safety issues of non-scalable conditions need to be identified early in development. Reaction calorimetry provides crucial information quickly, which can be applied to quantify the risks and criticality associated with a chemical process.

In cheminformatics today, innovations such as IUPAC’s InChI have created an explosion of interconnectedness for chemical structure databases. Unfortunately, chemists continue to draw 2D structures containing implicit 3D information (chair and boat, Haworth or Fischer projections, etc.). To address the issue, chemical information scientists use software-based ‘standardisation’ of chemical structures and in the process may remove or misinterpret the implicit stereochemistry of the original structure. In this webinar, we will explore an alternative, more accurate software-based ‘interpretation’ method that understands the 3D intent of 2D drawings as a chemist would. Case studies comparing both methods will be presented.

The Glasgow Climate Pact reaffirmed the primary goal of the Paris Agreement: limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius versus pre-industrial levels. As policymakers attempt to accelerate the energy transition to meet this goal, the oil and gas sector is coming under increasing pressure.