{"id":119010,"date":"2024-07-10T19:38:32","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T14:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=119010"},"modified":"2024-07-11T12:07:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T06:37:19","slug":"mineral-nanoparticles","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/mineral-nanoparticles","title":{"rendered":"Mineral Nanoparticles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently,<\/span><b>\u00a0IIT Madras and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> broke\u00a0 minerals down into nanoparticles from microdroplets of water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Experiment on Mineral Breakdown<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Experiment Setup: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IIT Madras tested the hypothesis on<\/span><b> crystals of quartz (silica), ruby<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>fused alumina.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Method: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applied a few thousand volts to mineral microparticles in water, creating a mist of microdroplets that resulted in the mineral breaking down into nanoparticles within Different Sizes of Water Drops.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Different Sizes of Water Drops<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Variety in Sizes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Water drops can be as large as raindrops or as small as aerosol particles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Microdroplets: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invisible to the naked eye, these are a thousandth the size of a typical raindrop.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About Mineral Nanoparticles<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Size<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Nanoparticles range in size from<\/span><b> 1 to 100 nanometers.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-119003 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/105-668e91301109f-e1720620481604.webp\" alt=\"Mineral Nanoparticles\" width=\"497\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/105-668e91301109f-e1720620481604.webp 745w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/105-668e91301109f-e1720620481604-300x255.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><b>Properties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Their properties depend on shape, size, surface characteristics, and internal structure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Forms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It can exist as aerosols (solids or liquids in air), suspensions (solids in liquids), or emulsions (liquids in liquids).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Formation of Nanoparticles<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Natural Formation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Occurs through processes like erosion and weathering.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Human Activities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Generated through cooking, manufacturing, transportation, and other industrial and domestic activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Manufacturing Approaches<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Top-Down<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Breaking larger particles into nanostructures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Bottom-Up<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Assembling atoms or molecules into nanostructures.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Eccentricity of Water Microdroplets<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eccentricity in the context of water microdroplets refers to the <\/span><b>deviation of the shape of these droplets from being perfectly spherical<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. When water droplets are not perfectly round, they have a measure of eccentricity that quantifies this irregularity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Surface vs. Bulk Water Reactions<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Surface Water Molecules: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Molecules at the surface of water can participate in chemical reactions more easily than those in bulk water, but still need some energy to do so.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Microdroplets: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Water molecules in microdroplets are packed closely together and are more eager to participate in chemical reactions without needing additional energy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Chemical Reactions in Microdroplets<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Faster Reactions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Microdroplets can engage in chemical reactions up to a million times faster than bulk water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Charge Carriers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Microdroplets are effective carriers of electric charge.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Beach Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the beach, microdroplets from the spray can carry salt ions and settle on your skin.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Formation of Charged Microdroplets<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Evaporation Effect: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When larger droplets evaporate and shrink, remaining water molecules form weak hydrogen bonds. This can result in the creation of negatively charged hydroxyl ions (OH-) and free protons (H+).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Bulk Water: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In bulk water, protons can&#8217;t move much due to surrounding molecules.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Microdroplets: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In microdroplets, protons easily reach the surface, making it more acidic and conducive to chemical reactions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Possible Causes of Mineral Breakdown<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Proton Infiltration:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Free protons could have squeezed into crystal layers, breaking them from within.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Electric Fields: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charged surfaces might have provided the necessary energy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Surface Tension: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A balance between attractive surface tension and repulsive like charges could have caused shockwaves that broke the microdroplets.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Implications and Future Research<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating nanoparticles from microparticles is related to significant issues like the <\/span><b>origin of life, agriculture, water, and food.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Proto-Cells: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Findings could be relevant to the study of proto-cells, which are believed to be precursors to modern cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Agriculture: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nanoparticles formed from microparticles could enhance soil productivity and benefit agriculture, particularly in desertified areas.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Silica Absorption: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Silica, which makes up half of sand, is absorbed by plants as nanoparticles, helping them grow taller. Rice crops typically have high silica levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Atmospheric Processes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Potential for microdroplet showers to react with minerals and form nanoparticles, impacting atmospheric chemistry.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.231%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 138.132%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.5963%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; 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