Sunday, September 20, 2009

Chemistry Change in Batteries Could Make for Safer Electric Cars


Alex Adrian 9/20/09
Chemistry Current Events

Works Cited
Mandel, Jenny. “Chemistry Change in Batteries Could Make for Safer Electric Cars.” The New York Times 24 Aug. 2009: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 20 Sept. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/‌gwire/‌2009/‌08/‌24/‌24greenwire-chemistry-change-in-batteries-could-make-for-s-34626.html?scp=2&sq=chemistry&st=cse>.

Commonly used objects like cell phones, laptops, and vehicles are all powered by a lithium-based battery which are subject to overheating and also blowing up. One gram of a new substance can be added which will sustain a cool temperature for our batteries which will prevent us from having to buy a new battery! Two geniuses named Khalil Amine and Zonghai Chen, who work at Argonne National Laboratory, have developed a molecule to do such. This molecule will be added to the electrolytes of lithium batteries resulting in the batteries voltage staying low. Having this quickly and easily added to your battery will only cost $100 to $200 saving you a lot of time and money. This molecule is reliable and will be responsible for keeping your electronics working smoothly instead of powering down after being in use for a long time.
Imagine a life without having to let your computer or cell phone cool down which will allow you to continue using it for a long period of time. Having the molecule added to your battery will affect your life overall. Your cell phone would always be working whenever you need it and you will not need to let it cool down after a long day of phone calls or texting. Also when you do your homework on your laptop that too will not need a rest because it has been in use for too long. My life would be changed because I will get things done faster without having to let my electronics take a break. Also, having one of these molecules will prevent me from having to buy an entire new battery! Just purchasing this addition to your battery will save you time and money down the road.
This article written by Jenny Mandel for the New York Times was a clearly written article. There was some science terminology that was incomprehensible for me so that made this read a little bit difficult at times but I could understand the gist of it. The author kept me sort of interested throughout the reading. Because the article was not too long she didn’t ramble on and on. I did get uninterested when she talked about how the molecules were formed. Another thing that I noticed is that the title “Chemistry Change in Batteries Could Make for Safer Electric Carswould make you think that you will read specifically about how the molecules will make for safer electric cars but the article only briefly talked about how the molecules could impact cars. It mainly focused on how the molecules could help cell phones and computers or other small electronics. But, on the other hand I would suggest this article to people because we can get something out of it. We all use electronics so this article was a fascinating read for me.
~Alex Adrian


11 comments:

  1. I think that one part of the article that was well presented was how it could help me with my homework and so that my laptop will not overheat and shutdown or slowdown when I am doing my homework. Also how Alex talked about how reliable the molecule is was great. It is also amazing how much money and time this molecule can save in the long run.

    The review could be better if it was told how the molecule was developed and what it can be used on. It would be great if it could work on everything from a cell phone to video game. Also, how is it added to the battery?

    I was impressed when I read this article. To have something that can help keep my phone or computer cool would be very helpful to have. I hope that one day I can get this or maybe companies will start to put this molecule in their batteries themselves. I thought this was a great article.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I reckon that this article review was very well presented in that it gives a concise summary of the main point portrayed in this article. It also informs us about the major details needed to understand the articles significance. Alex has done a good job in giving us the most important points and depicting them in an easily understandable content. The first paragraph of the article was very informative and gave a good introduction of what the article subject is about. The sustainability of the batteries after using this molecule is very helpful and relieves me of the thought of having to buy a new battery or wait until the laptop or the mobile phone powers up again. I also found it very interesting how Alex related the article to the audience. This was mainly done in paragraph two, Alex also frequently mentions how much easier life would be if we added this molecule to our lithium-based battery. I found it interesting to read about the overheating appliances and how much time and effort it would save by adding this molecule.
    This review could have been more precise in the naming of the molecule. It wasn’t made clear what molecule was being used or the unknown substance that was added to the lithium-based battery to prevent the powering down of laptops, mobile phones etc. I would have also liked for more elaboration on the subject of the added molecule. The detail in this article lacked which resulted in a couple of questions due to an inconclusive article.
    The subject and summary of this article impressed me. I definitely gained knowledge about the overheating of appliances and how it could be treated for an overall better use of time and money. I am now well informed about the use of a molecule to help the overheating process of appliances.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In the review she spoke well about how the lithium-based battery would help and benefit financial wise and time wise. She clearly represented and explained the article very detailed so that we could understand the article. Alex also gave very good points on how the lithium-based battery would benefit her. However, two things that could have been improved in her article would have been to tell more about how the lithium-based battery was made, and procedures were taken to form the molecule. Another thing that could have been improved would have been to elaborate more on how this molecule can be put into your electronics. This article was very impressing. The whole subject of the article caught my attention and I would definitely like to learn more about the lithium-based battery and how it helps to reduce the overheating of electronics. - Heather Mercado

    ReplyDelete
  4. One way this entry was well presented was in how its simple and easy to understand, while still delivering the necessary facts. Another good point about this review was how Alex spelled out many of the good benefits from this invention, such as how your cell phone would not die when you need it. And lastly, there is a lot of important details included in this review, such as the cost of having this molecule added. One thing I think Alex should have went into a bit more was about the molecule itself. I do agree in how it probably wasn't interesting but I'm confused as to what its made out of, and how they add it to your current battery? Another point that I was curious about was the electric car battery part, which wasn't in much detail. The main thing that impressed me about this review was how it so easily fits into your everyday life. The molecule that you put in your battery could be a help to many people's daily lives, it isn't irrelevant at all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I thought Alex did a great job in portraying the gist of the article! Her summary was quick and to the point. Alex was concise and it was an easy read for me. I though it was great how Alex related the article to herself, by saying how it would benefit her with her schoolwork and everyday life.
    There were only a few things I think needed to be added he review. If I had not read the real article I would wonder what is exactly is the molecule? What is it composed of? How can they add it to the battery? Will it affect us as humans in the long run? . These were all things that I would think about if I hadn’t read the article.
    Over all I found the review and the article itself to be very intriguing and fascinating. I found it interesting how one little thing could change technology so drasticly. Imagine if we had more battery power? How cool will that be!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This was a very well-written article by Alex. I liked the way she gave examples which made it easy to relate to our lives and the technology we use. The details were also very good. I know the names of the professors who thought of the battery and how much the batteries cost. And Alex clearly explained how the effects of the battery would be beneficial to us, such as not having to worry about our cell phone dying out when we need it.
    Although the article was very well presented, there are a couple things that could improve it. For example, there were a few grammatical errors which could have been fixed. Secondly, I would have like to have known of some other objects of technology that could be used by the battery.
    I learned from this review that these certain types of batteries would be very useful for people around the world. It effects everyone who has a computer, cell phone, and other commonly used technology. This battery would drastically change the way the use of battery power.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think this is a very well written review of an article. I liked it because Alex used vocabulary i could understand, rather then confusing technological vocabulary. I also like how the summery gave me the gist of the article without getting into too much detail. I also liked how Alex told us how this new invention could improve our own lives, it was very helpful. There where few this wrong with this article but some things I noticed where that she failed to explain how the molecule was made. Also she could have told us more about the electronic car, because it seemed interesting. One thing i learned form this article review is how this new technology could be helpful to everyday people with electronics, and can save people money which is important especially now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think Alex did a fantastic job with this artivle review. I liked it because Alex made it so easy to understand. I also liked how Alex related the article to herself and how the invention could benefit her as a person. One more thing I liked about Alex's review was that she put just enough detail into her review so that I wouldn't get bored, but be informed at the same time.
    Although Alex's review was well-done, there was one thing that she could have worked on a little bit better. I think she should have made it clearer as to how the molecule could be put into the battery.
    This article review was very intriguing. It's so amazing how this one invention could change human life forever. I could only imagine a world wihout having to charge your phone or laptop, but now, this image is coming to life and it's amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1) I thought the part of this article that made it the most interesting to read is how it affects electronic objects in our daily lives. I like how Alex started out with this subject, automatically grabbing the readers attention. Since she is writing for her review to be read by high school science students I also enjoyed how she explained how price-effective the battery upgrade was, so possibly we would be able to take advantage of the technology in question. Some parts of her review were a bit unclear, but I'm glad that she explained at the end why the article confused her. Instead of me thinking that she was just being vague.
    2)The above mentioned unclarities are that I wished to know why lithium batteries overheat and blow up in the first place. The problem to be solved could have been explained in greater detail. I also think she could have expanded on what this mystery substance is instead of just saying "this molecue." What elements are this molecue comprised of? How are they bonded? What do they do to the lithium electrolytes to keep the voltage down?
    3)I was impressed by Alex's ambition in reviewing this article since it is out of the New York (Science) Times and on a subject that requires diffiuclt terminology to explain. I hope that this new development in battery technology can be integrated into out lives right away, so I'm very glad that I read this so when I get my next small electronic device I can make sure to as for an upgrade.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Alex had a very well written review. She quickly got to the point, and made it very easy for me to read. Alex also related the article to herself and put it in a person's perspective. Another good part of Alex's review is that she gave just the right amount of detail to explain, but not too long to bore someone.
    Some unclear things about this article were how the molecules were made, and put into the batteries. Also she did not explain how long this process would take.
    This was a complicated article to review because of the complicated language in it. Before this article I would have never known about this technology and now I, personally, might use it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Chris Marasco
    Due 9/22
    Three aspects of Alex Adrian’s review of the New York Times article, “Chemistry Change in Batteries Could Make for Safer Electric Cars” by Jenny Mandel, that were well presented were her summation of the article, translation of the article and her candidness in declaring parts of the article “incomprehensible”.
    In her summation of the article she included the basic information of , who what, when, where, and why which allowed the reader to easily grasp the core points of the article quickly. By translating the article into everyday terms the reader was able to get a better understanding of the topics being discussed. Her honesty in admitting parts of the article were not “understandable” due to the terminology was refreshing and illustrated that some authors should employ more user friendly language.
    Two suggestions on how the review could be made even better would be to have added some more negative aspects of the article or perhaps pose more questions related to the topic. For instance, why was adding the molecules never thought of before? Were there are there any drawbacks to adding the new substance to sustain temperature for batteries? All in all I think Alex did a great job reviewing the article. “Chemical Change in Batteries Could make for Safer Electric Cars.” These are just a few possible suggestions if someone else were to write a review.
    I was impressed and learned a lot from reading the article, Alex’s review of” Chemistry change in batteries could make for safer electric cars”. I learned about how certain electronics I use everyday are powered by lithium based batteries and why they sometimes overheat or blow up. I also learned how science affects our everyday life and the importance of always searching for new discoveries. This article and review brought a new understanding of the importance of new scientific discoveries and how they can help improve everyday machines we use.
    The article was well written and so was the review of the article by Alex Adrian. The next time my battery goes dead on my cell phone I will most likely think of the articles and hope the new chemistry change takes effect quickly.

    ReplyDelete