Dr. Lee was a young and ambitious chemical engineer who worked at a prestigious research institute. He was assigned to a project that aimed to develop a new catalyst for a green and efficient synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil. He had spent months testing various metal nanoparticles, but none of them showed satisfactory results. He was frustrated and desperate for a breakthrough.
One day, he received a package from his colleague, Dr. Kim, who worked at another branch of the institute. Dr. Kim had synthesized some gold nanoparticles and wanted Dr. Lee to test them as potential catalysts. Dr. Lee opened the package and found a small vial containing a dark brown liquid. He read the note that came with it:
“Dear Dr. Lee,
I hope this finds you well. I have synthesized some gold nanoparticles using a novel method that involves citric acid and sodium borohydride. The particles are very small and uniform, about 5 nm in diameter. I think they might have some catalytic properties, so I am sending you a sample for testing. Please let me know if you find anything interesting.
Best regards,
Dr. Kim”
Dr. Lee was intrigued by the gold nanoparticles. He had read some papers that suggested that gold could be a promising catalyst for biodiesel synthesis, but he had never tried it himself. He decided to test the sample right away. He prepared a reaction mixture of waste cooking oil, methanol, and sodium hydroxide, and added a few drops of the gold nanoparticle solution. He stirred the mixture and heated it to 60 °C. He expected to see some signs of reaction, such as bubbles or color change, but nothing happened. He increased the temperature to 80 °C, then to 100 °C, but still nothing happened. He was disappointed and thought that the gold nanoparticles were useless.
He was about to discard the reaction mixture when he noticed something strange. The liquid in the flask had turned from yellow to red. He wondered what had caused the color change. He took a sample and analyzed it using a spectrophotometer. He was shocked by the result. The spectrum showed a strong peak at 520 nm, which indicated the presence of gold nanoparticles. He realized that the gold nanoparticles had not dissolved in the reaction mixture, but had aggregated and changed their color. He wondered why this had happened. He checked the pH of the reaction mixture and found that it was very high, about 14. He remembered that he had added too much sodium hydroxide by mistake. He wondered if the high pH had triggered the aggregation of the gold nanoparticles.
He decided to test his hypothesis. He prepared another reaction mixture with the same amount of waste cooking oil, methanol, and gold nanoparticle solution, but this time he added only a small amount of sodium hydroxide, enough to make the pH about 10. He stirred the mixture and heated it to 60 °C. He was amazed by what he saw. The liquid in the flask started to bubble and fizz. He took a sample and analyzed it using a gas chromatograph. He was ecstatic by the result. The chromatogram showed a high yield of biodiesel, about 90%. He had found a new catalyst for biodiesel synthesis.
He repeated the experiment several times and confirmed the result. He found that the optimal pH for the reaction was between 9 and 11. He also found that the gold nanoparticles acted as a heterogeneous catalyst, meaning that they could be easily separated and reused. He wrote a paper and submitted it to a prestigious journal. He received positive reviews and his paper was accepted for publication. He was praised by his supervisor and colleagues. He was invited to give a talk at a major conference. He was offered a promotion and a raise. He was happy and proud.
He thanked Dr. Kim for sending him the gold nanoparticles. He told him about his discovery and asked him how he had synthesized the gold nanoparticles. Dr. Kim replied:
“Dear Dr. Lee,
I am glad to hear that you have made a great discovery. Congratulations on your paper and your success. You deserve it.
I have to confess something to you. The gold nanoparticles that I sent you were not synthesized by me. They were synthesized by my son, who is a high school student. He is interested in chemistry and likes to do experiments at home. He found a recipe for making gold nanoparticles on the internet and followed it. He used some gold jewelry that he borrowed from his mother and some chemicals that he bought from a local store. He did not know what he was doing. He just wanted to make something cool.
He showed me his product and I was curious about it. I did not have time to test it myself, so I sent it to you, hoping that you might find it useful. I did not expect that it would lead to such a remarkable discovery. I am sorry for not telling you the truth earlier. I hope you are not angry with me.
Best regards,
Dr. Kim”
Dr. Lee was stunned by Dr. Kim’s confession. He could not believe that the gold nanoparticles that had changed his life were made by a high school student who had no idea what he was doing. He felt a mix of emotions: surprise, disbelief, amusement, gratitude, and humility. He realized that he had been lucky. He realized that he did not know what was good and bad. He realized that he had learned a valuable lesson from the Zen tenet.
He replied to Dr. Kim:
“Dear Dr. Kim,
Thank you for your honesty. I am not angry with you. I am grateful to you and your son. You have given me a gift that I will never forget.
Please tell your son that he is a genius. He has made a contribution to science and society that he may not fully appreciate. He has inspired me and many others. He should be proud of himself.
Please also tell your wife that I am sorry for her loss of jewelry. I hope she is not too upset. I would like to offer her a compensation. Please let me know how much the jewelry was worth and I will send you a check.
Best regards,
Dr. Lee”
Dr. Lee smiled and closed his laptop. He looked at the flask that contained the gold nanoparticles. He felt a sense of awe and wonder. He felt a sense of gratitude and humility. He felt a sense of peace and joy. He had found a new catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. He had also found a new catalyst for his own growth and happiness. He had found the unexpected catalyst.
The end.
Energy Risk Engineering Insights 