The Journey Of My Life Essay - 1534 Words

Midway along the journey of my life, I pause to find myself in a darkened office, for I had wandered off from the studious path. The cold piercing glow of my monitor against bloodshot eyes taunted them with just how exhausted they had become. Projects that never seemed to want to work, grew more dysfunctional with every fix. The continued fatigue drove the temptation of distraction. Gazing out the window of my study I began examining the parking lot across the street. I began watching a figure fumbling between the cars. My mind began wondering how I would ever get my work done, I began wondering just how long I had until the sun s unwelcome glow would fill my peripheral vision while I continued to clack away against a futile assortment of code. A loud wailing of a car siren, focuses me. Again out the window I see the figure now in a car with the alarms blaring. I watch intently waiting for them to shut off, they don t. I stare blankly as the car starts driving down the nearby alley, horns echoing solely in the night. Listening while the horns become quieter and further away. I can tell what street they are headed down and I think of what I should do. Grabbing my phone, then second guessing myself. Staring at it waiting for it to call someone who can do something. After blindly observing my phone for what seemed like hours, I begin to realize it is too late to do anything. Before I know it my head lay on my desk. I keep telling myself that if I only close my eyes for aShow MoreRelatedThe Journey Of Life : My Journey In My Life1083 Words   |  5 PagesLife is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved – Winnie the Pooh. Being a military kid growing up, for as long as I could remember I have always been moving around, but never out of the country. I believe in this point in my life I had moved at least six times by now. I was around the age of 11, when I got the news that we would be moving to another continent, Europe. I was both scared and excited. Scared that I would not fit in, but excited to have the opportunity to travel andRead MoreMy Journey Of Life963 Words   |  4 Pagestime to figure out. My journey has been filled with happy times and sad times. Difficult times and triumphant ones. My journey of life began prematurely on February 17, 1983 in Memphis, TN. I was born to two of the most wonderful people on this earth, and that’s a completely unbiased opinion. I weighed a whopping 4lbs and 13ounces and I had to stay in the hospital for quite a while before I was able to be released to go home with my parents. About a year before I was born, my mother’s father passedRead MoreThe Journey Of My Life1271 Words   |  6 PagesMy Marker Moments This paper will detail the journeys of my life that lead to my marker moments. Each marker was born out of a circumstance or ah-ha moment. A moment that opened my mind and heart and branched out towards the path of leadership in my life. There are three that I will speak about for the purpose of this paper although there are many more. The three that stand out the most are my first trip to Jamaica, Transitioning into Christianity and Returning to School in that order. JamaicaRead MoreMy Life Journey995 Words   |  4 PagesLife is like a roller coaster it can take people in different directions, it has its ups and downs. But thats the beauty of life we can enjoy the finer things in life when we are up, and, we go thru the pain and suffering when we are down. But it is how we deal with the challenges in life that can make us stronger. Also, the ability to change oneself to adapt to a new environment is one of the essential skills that a person can possess in life. My life has been full of challenges since I can rememberRead MoreMy Journey Of Life1312 Words   |  6 Pages A lot of people wish that they can have someone to guide them through the journey of life. The ups and downs and the trials and tribulations. All this time I didn’t know that I had someone that was in my corner that I would consider to be a mentor. I didn’t see him as my mentor until two years ago. My mentor is my older cousin Isaiah, he is a mechanical engineer a t General Electric. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and he’s athletic. Isaiah is caring, understanding, and very intelligent. Me on theRead MoreMy Journey In My Life1274 Words   |  6 Pages My life thus far has brought me through many journeys. The experiences I had disciplined me so much, I dont even know where to start. I am content for all the lessons I have learned through these experiences. God is my everything and is the only reason for this life. He has showed me the meaning of many things and is directing me to the right path. Therefore, the first influential person is Jesus. He has been present in every single thing I have been through. Times like loneliness and failureRead MoreThe Journey Of My Life1441 Words   |  6 Pagesarrive. My body was exhausted from doing volleyball drills, I just wanted to go home and rest. That is when I heard a familiar voice coming from the parking lot, it was my mother. We lived 45 minutes from town and I knew something was wrong for her to make the trip in to pick me up. As I walked over my gut wrenched into a ball. The possibilities of things she could say ran threw my mind and sent my world spinning. The solemn look on her face grew clearer as I started walking closer, my mother sRead MoreMy Journey Of My Life1345 Words   |  6 PagesIt was in the years of my adulthood, about twelve years from my joining of the Child’s Union, and it was on my vacation; my vacation, that was, from Kim Chaek University of Technology. The windowless transport bus halted and recoi led, alerting me that my destination has been reached, and that I could depart to the residence of my humble relatives in the village of Sinuiju, which was a municipal city on the very edge of North Korea and China. I stepped from the ancient vehicle and began the walk towardsRead MoreMy Journey In My Life947 Words   |  4 Pages When I was a child, my father always came to me and told me a quote, but over the years I have changed it into my own and now I live by it everyday: â€Å"Tomorrow is a brand new day, and a gift from yesterday. If you’ve failed, rise from your ashes and create your own path and leave a trail behind because you cannot take others paths to live your life. Life is your adventure and what you make of it.† I have always loved life and the people that are in it. Since I was a child I have had the biggest dreamsRead MoreMy Journey Of My Life Essay1228 Words   |  5 PagesMy Journey My crew was about to make history. Legs in my chest, ankles in my thighs, head against the wall... I was ready for this. The words, â€Å"Everyone, out!† overwhelmed me. I had made my way down a thick rope, and saw the vast amount of people awaiting me. All the citizens were hushed asleep blind to what was to come. Nonchalantly, I took my recently sharpened spear out of my back pocket. It was time, and our crew made our first move. The whole scene was all a blur to me; sharp cries and agonizing

Dr. Martin Luther King s Speech - 1318 Words

Racism has always been a major problem in America. However, it was known to be the most problematic in the late 1950s. On August 28 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his infamous speech â€Å"I Have a Dream† to America. His dream highlighted the injustices of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that took place in this nation every single day. Dr. King inspired thousands despite the color of their skin, to take a stance against racism, with his powerful way with words. In his speech MLK efficaciously uses, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos by using allusions, developing credibility, in his speech to persuade all Americans to be aware of the problems with racism. Dr. King dives right into his speech opening with ethos, by using†¦show more content†¦By using Lincoln, King knows that he is hitting home with the half of the audience that consist of African Americans. In hopes of creating a better sense of credibility, which encourages people to accept his idea or â€Å"dream†, King mentions the Declaration of Independence. Dr. king makes himself credible by challenging what citizens known as the unalienable rights. Unalienable rights, are rights that cannot be taken away from a human being. They are considered rights given to people by God himself, when they are born. In the third paragraph he quotes, ‘the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. â€Å"This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.† He uses the quote to show that the Supreme Court should be on his side. However, he then goes on to tell how even though it should be on his side it is not. â€Å"It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note.† He is stating that the American government has ne glected their promise to ALL of the American people. By doing this he is asking the readers to ask themselves, why has America failed to reach the expectations of equality? Why is the injustice only occurring to blacks? And most importantly, What can be done to change this? In another attempt to appear more credible, King often times quotes the bible. His use of the bible can cause an emotional response, butShow MoreRelatedDr. Martin Luther King Jr s Speech970 Words   |  4 Pages What makes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech so important till this day? It’s ability to still move people. Dr. King Jr. was one of the best speakers of his time during the Civil Rights Movement. He wrote many distinguished works, two of them being his I Have a Dream Speech and his letter, Letters from Birmingham. Letters from Birmingham Jail was written from jail after he was shortly arrested for attempting to share his views with clergymen on this racial injustice. Dr. King delivered hi s I HaveRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King s Speech1127 Words   |  5 PagesIn Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, â€Å"Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence†, King asserts that the war in Vietnam is a â€Å"symptom† (7) of a much larger disease that affects the â€Å"American spirit† (7). The disease King mentions is causing destruction where ever it is found, and in the case of the Vietnam war, it has led to their oppression and the death of people. In the section, Strange Liberators, King states, â€Å"They move sadly and apathetically as we heard them off the land of their fathers intoRead MoreKing s Speech By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.999 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"I Have a Dream† one of the most popular speeches in history was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African American preacher. He directs his speech to two main groups of people. The first group being those listening to the speech, and the second being those who are just around the area where he is delivering his speech. King’s speech is focusing on the civil rights of the African American citizens. He talks about how poorly the other people have treated them. He uses historical documentationRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King s I Have A Dream Speech1696 Words   |  7 PagesDr. Martin Luther King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech has served as inspiration to multiple generations in the 52 years since his words were spoken. Individuals and groups have rallied behind his message of equality and peace and quoted this speech countless times in an attempt to further Dr. King’s dream of bringing racial injustice to an end. In this speech, which wa s delivered as the culmination of the March for Jobs in 1962, Dr. King addressed nearly 250,000 people to bring awareness to the injusticesRead MoreObservations On The s I Have A Dream Speech By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.881 Words   |  4 Pageshappened 5 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream Speech on the Washington Mall 47 years ago, and Mother Teresa was born a century ago. Monday: Katrina; Tuesday: I Have a Dream; Today: Mother Teresa After spending a great deal of time on and devoting a good deal of space to the two previous subjects in this series on recent anniversaries, 2005 s devastating Hurricane Katrina and the world-changing 1963 I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I had lookedRead MoreAnalysis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have A Dream Speech619 Words   |  3 Pages28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time to an audience of more than 200,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In his, â€Å"I have a dream† speech, King addressed his encouragement of white and black people working together to achieve racial peace and harmony. He especially wanted to teach the young blacks that equality could be gained through the use of non-violence. The main reason King used nonviolenceRead Moreâ€Å"a Comparison of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’S ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech and ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’†.1444 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Comparison of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’†. 9% Similarity Born in Atlanta Georgia in 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., conceivably lived as one of the greatest social and religious leaders in a country where a group of its citizens had to endure excruciating conditions of disenfranchisement, inferiority and degradation of a second class citizenship by reasons of race, color or origin. In effort to condemn allRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have A Dream Speech915 Words   |  4 Pages Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech to the thousands of African Americans who had marched on Washington, D.C. at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The date of the speech was August 28, 1963, but it is one that will live for generations. Of course his purpose was to convince his audience on several fronts: he sought to persuade the black community to stand up for the rights afforded them under the Constitution, and he also sought to Read MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream Speech1480 Words   |  6 PagesRights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream speech was broadcasted across the nation and heard by millions of Americans on August 28, 1963. Throughout the decades, many have promoted the importance of racial equality in America. Leaders such as William J. Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush have contributed to modern social movements by, doing as Dr. King himself, giving speeches to varying audiences concerning the issue of racial inequality. Above all, Martin Luther King Jr made theRead MorePurpose of Education Essay669 Words   |  3 PagesSynthesis Essay: The Purpose of Education Everyday we go to school to receive our education, but what is the purpose of education? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, â€Å"The Purpose of Education† and Frank O’Connor’s short story, â€Å"Christmas Morning,† both discuss what is the purpose of education. The purpose of education is to acknowledge not only one’s intelligence, but also one’s character, provide one with the ability to make decisions and achieve their goals. One of the purposes of education

The novel Frankenstein written in 1831 by Mary Shelley Free Essays

The novel Frankenstein written in 1831 by Mary Shelley is a tale that seems to expound on many of the ideas set forth in John Keats’ â€Å"Ode on Melancholy.† The thematic elements concur in their references to the unknown and to the unwanted and melancholic results of knowledge that lies beyond a certain threshold of life. Both works take on a very tenebrous tone and even hint at a certain inevitability in the coming of doom and the destruction of beauty. We will write a custom essay sample on The novel Frankenstein written in 1831 by Mary Shelley or any similar topic only for you Order Now They might even be considered works that celebrate the sadder circumstances in life—which is in direct contrast to the unbridled optimism of many Romantic poets of the era. The monster created by Victor Frankenstein, as well as Frankenstein himself, enter the dreamlike and unknown territory of Lethe warned against by Keats, and in return find out first hand the inner workings of life’s melancholy. The very first line of Keats’ poem warns against entrance into the unknown, as therein lies even more evidence of the grief that life can hold. He writes, â€Å"No, no, go not to Lethe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (line 1). Lethe refers to a river found in the Greek mythologies that flowed through the underworld of Hades. This river is one that causes forgetfulness and in that way casts a shroud over reality that is similar to the misty and dreamlike sense created in the novel Frankenstein. Shelley does this using several devices, such as through the setting she creates. The story begins while the first narrator and Dr. Frankenstein sail together on a vessel in the dark and expansive waters of the Arctic. The atmosphere speaks volumes of the lack of clarity that is shown to exist on the earth. It also prefigures the idea of Dr. Frankenstein’s forgetting (as on Lethe’s waters) lessons learned from Faust about seeking too much that which lies beyond death. It can also be seen from the very first letter written by Walton that life is itself shown to be unclear and unstable in its ability to mete out despair and melancholy no matter which actions are performed by the persons involved. Walton writes to Margaret: â€Å"And when shall I return? Ah, dear sister, how can I answer this question? If I succeed, many, many months, perhaps years, will pass before you and I may meet. If I fail, you will see me again soon, or never† (Shelley, 4). It is clear that life is like a voyage into the Arctic or on the river Lethe. What lies ahead is unknown and what happiness has past may easily be forgotten, as quickly as sadness may come. Yet Keats’ message is much more specific than the mere pointing out of the dreamlike nature of life. It goes further to deter men from seeking out the underside of life. He specifically warns against the deliberate seeking of things that are associated with death and the underworld. He speaks of the foolhardiness of twisting Wolfs-bane or allowing Proserpine (the goddess of the underworld) to kiss one’s forehead (lines 1-4). This is significant in the novel Frankenstein as the actions performed by that doctor may be compared directly to what Keats warns against. The doctor himself admits: â€Å"The moon gazed on my midnight labours, while, with unrelaxed and breathless eagerness, I pursued nature to her hidingplaces† (Shelley, 45). Frankenstein reveals that he deliberately seeks out the halls of death in his quest to give life to a cadaverous body. He goes beyond the call of the living man and ventures uninvited into the underworld to have his brow kissed by Proserpine. The warning Keats gives seems to be merited as the consequences of his actions serve only to illuminate the more melancholy aspects of life. A portentous smudge on Dr. Frankenstein’s eagerness to infuse the dead body with his new concoction of life symbolizes the doom that is foretold by Keats for those who meddle with the things of death. Frankenstein describes his state during the times leading up to the creation of his monster, and he reveals, â€Å"I pursued my undertaking with unremitting ardour. My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement† (Shelley, 44). This demonstrates the toll that his illicit actions were taking on his body. It is as though Proserpine’s kiss of death were spreading through his body while he attempted to give life to the dead one lying on his table. The unfavorable circumstances that are yet to come are prefigured in this episode where Frankenstein seems to be transferring his own life to the cadaver on which he operates. Keats goes on to speak of the fall of melancholy when â€Å"fit,† and this demonstrates that sadness itself will lie in incubation during periods that seem happy. He writes, â€Å"But when melancholy fit shall fall sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 11-12). This demonstrates how in the fullness of time, melancholy itself will burst forth upon the heads of those who have performed the actions to deserve it. This is also true of the events of the novel Frankenstein. Once the scientific endeavor has been achieved, the Monster becomes a herald of fear and doom. He also becomes the hand of premature death to several of the characters, all of whom were loved by Victor. Furthermore, Keats’ comparison of melancholy’s â€Å"fall† to the weeping of a cloud makes it known that such sadness is a part of the cycle of life—and therefore gives the impression that there is no real need to seek it out, since it comes of its own accord anyway. Death would have come to Elizabeth, William, Justine and Frankenstein’s father without the help of the monster that was created. There was no real need for the Dr. Frankenstein to create that artificial taker of life, since life itself has its own built-in machinery of death. Yet Keats’ solution to the fall of melancholy holds a cryptic message that appears difficult to interpret. It is necessary to dig deeply into its meaning before it can be reconciled with the events portrayed in Mary Shelley’s novel. He indicates that when melancholy falls, one should â€Å"glut thy sorrow on a morning rose or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave or on the wreath of globed peonies† (lines 15-17). When one â€Å"gluts† or oversupplies something, this leads to a drop in the price of the thing. Sorrow glutted upon these things of beauty causes itself to become cheap, and therefore easily acquired. It is difficult to see how this can be a solution to sorrow at all, since it merely proliferates it. However, it does support the thesis that sorrow is easily achieved in life; and it can also be seen to fit well with the ideas of the novel Frankenstein, in which the Monster goes on a rampage and gluts sorrow upon the happiness that once existed in Victor’s world. Yet, the glut of sorrow that Keats indicates exists in life is even more visible when one considers the condition of the Monster himself. The â€Å"life† into which he is brought is even more desolate and melancholy than that experienced by real humans. He is the only one of his kind and is marginalized by his very dissimilarity to man. His hatred and wickedness is spawned directly from this fact—which is a direct result of Frankenstein’s â€Å"[twisting] Wolfs-bane [†¦] for its poisonous wine† (Keats, lines 1-2). When the Monster speaks to Frankenstein, it is to display the condition to which he has been brought in life. He says, â€Å"I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?† (Shelley, 147) It is this immense sorrow that the Monster’s life has brought him that overflows in its surplus and gluts itself on the morning rose of everything that is good in Frankenstein’s life. It affects the promise of his friend and brothers’ lives, and causes the shedding of his wife’s bloom and beauty. The ideas concerning the melancholy of life, which are reflected in this poem and novel, demonstrate several notions that are usually considered Romantic. The idea of something’s being Romantic gives the impression that it affects more gaiety than it really does possess. This can be shown to be true of the novel Frankenstein as the contentment that the doctor proposes to receive from fulfilling his plan is in direct contrast to what actually results from his work. Yet further ideas concerning Romanticism can also be extracted from these two works. The moral and Romantic belief in the apocalyptic events (as those portrayed in the Bible) followed by an era of peace and serenity can be shown to be reflected to some extent in the texts of the Keats’ poem and Shelley’s novel. Shelley’s protagonist is hit upon by doom and destruction as a result of the actions he performed during his life. This is also demonstrated in the melancholy that â€Å"falls† in Keats’ poem as a result of the actions of one who deliberately seeks out the underside of the life. Similarly, Romantic (biblical) destruction of the earth is also purported to be a direct result of the actions of mankind. However, once the destruction is complete, peace returns to the earth. This is seen to occur at the end of the novel Frankenstein when the monster destroys his maker and then wanders off to seek his own destruction. This appears to restore equilibrium to the world. Yet, this equilibrium cannot be said to be of the same optimistic quality as the â€Å"peace and tranquility† that is supposed to follow the apocalypse. In fact, this equilibrium keeps itself closer to the theme of melancholy being present naturally within life, as it is a balance between good and evil that defines this equilibrium. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the poem â€Å"Ode on Melancholy† by John Keats bear many similarities to each other. They contain the idea that seeking too much the things that lie beyond life will unleash a measure of death and sorrow that is not only unnecessary, but that will disrupt the gentle equilibrium that exists on earth. Life, in equilibrium, contains both joy and sorrow—so melancholy will come in good time without being sought. The actions of Dr. Frankenstein prove Keats’ theory to be correct in that he pushes to see beyond life and finds the death and sorrow in greater abundance than that which he sought. The optimism typical of the romantics is challenged in the ideas of these writers, as even the return of life’s equilibrium means that death and sorrow will have as much freedom to harm humans as life and happiness to comfort them. Works Cited Keats, John. 1819. â€Å"Ode on Melancholy.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. I.   Ã‚   M. H. Abrams, et al. New York: W.W. Norton, 1993. Shelley, Mary. 1831. Frankenstein. Bowser, BC: Aerie Publishing, 1988. How to cite The novel Frankenstein written in 1831 by Mary Shelley, Essay examples

Organic Molecules Challenge Essay Example For Students

Organic Molecules Challenge Essay Organic Molecules ChallengeSilicons Reign as King of SemiconductorsThere is a revolution fomenting in the semiconductor industry. It may take 30years or more to reach perfection, but when it does the advance may be so greatthat todays computers will be little more than calculators compared to whatwill come after. The revolution is called molecular electronics, and its goal isto depose silicon as king of the computer chip and put carbon in its place. The perpetrators are a few clever chemists trying to use pigment, proteins,polymers, and other organic molecules to carry out the same task thatmicroscopic patterns of silicon and metal do now. For years these researchersworked in secret, mainly at their blackboards, plotting and planning. Now theyare beginning to conduct small forays in the laboratory, and their few successesto date lead them to believe they were on the right track. We have a long way to go before carbon-based electronics replace silicon-basedelectronics, but we can see now that we hope to revolutionize computer designand performance, said Robert R. Birge, a professor of chemistry, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh. Now its only a matter of time, hard work, andsome luck before molecular electronics start having a noticeable impact.Molecular electronics is so named because it uses molecules to act as thewires and switches of computer chips. Wires, may someday be replaced bypolymers that conduct electricity, such as polyacetylene andpolyphenylenesulfide. Another candidate might be organometallic compounds suchas porphyrins and phthalocyanines which also conduct electricity. Whencrystallized, these flat molecules stack like pancakes, and metal ions in theircenters line up with one another to form a one-dimensional wire. Many organic molecules can exist in two distinct stable states that differ insome measurable property and are interconvertable. These could be switches ofmolecular electronics. For example, bacteriorhodpsin, a bacterial pigment,exists in two optical states: one state absorbs green light, the other orange. Shinning green light on the green-absorbing state converts it into the orangestate and vice versa. Birge and his coworkers have developed high density memorydrives using bacteriorhodopsin. Although the idea of using organic molecules may seem far-fetched, it happensevery day throughout nature. Electron transport in photosynthesis one of themost important energy generating systems in nature, is a real-world example ofwhat were trying to do, said Phil Seiden, manager of molecular science, IBM,Yorkstown Heights, N.Y. Birge, who heads the Center for Molecular Electronics at Carnegie-Mellon, saidtwo factors are driving this developing revolution, more speed and less space. Semiconductor chip designers are always trying to cram more electroniccomponents into a smaller space, mostly to make computers faster, he said. Andtheyve been quite good at it so far, but they are going to run into troublequite soon.A few years ago, for example, engineers at IBM made history last year when theybuilt a memory chip with enough transistors to store a million bytes ifinformation, the megabyte. It came as no big surprise. Nor did it when they cameout with a 16-megabyte chip. Chip designers have been cramming more transistorsinto less space since Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce atFairchild Semiconductor first showed how to put multitudes on electroniccomponents on a slab of silicon. But 16 megabytes may be near the end of the road. As bits get smaller and losertogether, crosstalk between them tends to degrade their performance. If thecomponents were pushed any closer they would short circuit. Physical limits havetriumphed over engineering. That is when chemistry will have its day. Carbon, the element common to allforms of life, will become the element of computers too. That is when we seeelectronics based on inorganic semiconductors, namely silicon and galliumarsenide, giving way to electronics based on organic compounds, said Scott E. Rickert, associate professor of macromolecular science, Case Western ReserveUniversity, Cleveland, and head of the schools Polymer Microdevice Laboratory. As a result, added Rickert, we could see memory chips store billions of bytesof information and computers that are thousands times faster. The science ofmolecular electronics could revolutionize computer design.But even if it does not, the research will surely have a major impact on organicchemistry. Molecular electronics presents very challenging intellectualproblems on organic chemistry, and when people work on challenging problems theyoften come up with remarkable, interesting solutions, said Jonathan S. Lindsey,assistant professor of chemistry, Carnegie-Mellon University. Even if the wholefield falls through, well still have learned a remarkable amount more aboutorganic compounds and their physical interactions than we know now. Thats why Idont have any qualms about pursuing this research.Moreover, many believe that industries will benefit regardless of whether anorganic-based computer chip is ever built. For example, Lindsey is developing anautomated system, as well as the chemi stry to go along with it, for synthesizingcomplex organic compounds analogous to the systems now available for peptide andnucleotide synthesis. And Rickert is using technology he developed foe molecularelectronic applications to make gas sensors that are both a thousand timesfaster and more sensitive than conventional sensors. Peyotism EssayIn their system, Poehler and Potember use compounds formed form either copper orsilver- the electron donor-and the tetracyaboquinodimethane (TCNQ) or variousderivatives-the electron acceptor. The researchers first deposit the metal ontosome substrate-it could be either a silicon or plastic slab. Next, they deposita solution of the organic electron acceptor onto the metal and heat it gently,causing a reaction to occur and evaporating the solvent. In the equilibrium state between these two molecular components, an electron istransferred from copper to TCNQ, forming a positive metal ion and a negativeTCNQ ion. Irradiating this complex with light from an argon laser causes thereverse reaction to occur, forming neutral metal and neutral TCNQ. Two measurable changed accompany this reaction. One is that the laser-lit areachanges color from blue to a pale yellow if the metal is copper or from violetif it is silver. This change is easily detected using the same or another laser. Thus, metal TCNQ films, like those made from bacteriorhodopsin, could serve asoptical memory storage devices. Poehler said that they have already builtseveral such devices and are now testing their performance. They work at roomtemperature. The other change that occurs, however, is more like those that take place onstandard microelectronics switches. When an electric field id applied to theorganometallic film, it becomes conducting in the irradiated area, just as asemiconductor does when an electric field is applied to it. Erasing a data or closing the switch is accomplished using any low-intensitylaser, including carbon dioxide, neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet, or galliumarsenide devices. The tiny amount of heat generated by the laser beam causes themetal and TCNQ to return to their equilibrium, non-conducting state. Turning offthe applied voltage also returns the system to its non-conducting state. The Hoptkins researchers found they could tailor the on/off behavior of thissystem by changing the electron acceptor. Using relative weak electron acceptors,such as dimethoxy-TCNQ, produced organometallic films with a very sharp on/offbehavior. But of a strong electron acceptor such as tetrafluoro-TCNQ is used,the film remains conductive even when the applied field is removed. This effectcan last from several minutes to several days; the stronger the electronacceptor, the longer the memory effect. Poehler and his colleagues are now working to optimize the electrical andoptical behavior of these materials. They have found, for example, that filmsmade with copper last longer than those made of silver. In addition, they aretesting various substrates and coatings to further stabilize these systems. Weknow the system works, Poehler said. Now were trying to develop it into asystem that will work in microelectronics applications.At Case Wester Rickert is also trying to make good organic chemistry and turn itinto something workable in microelectronics. He and his coworkers have foundthat using Langmuir-Blodgett techniques they can make polymer films actuallylook like and behave like metal foils. The polymer molecules are arranged in avery regular, ordered array, as if they were crystalline, said Rickert. These foils, made from polymers such as polyvinylstearate, behave much as metaloxide films do in standard semiconductor devices. but transistors made with theorganic foils are 20 percent faster than their inorganic counterparts, andrequire much less energy to make and process. Early in 1986, Rickert made adiscovery about these films that could have a major impact on the chemicalindustry long before any aspect of molecular electronics. the electricalbehavior of these foils is very sensitive to environmental changes such astemperature, pressure, humidity and chemical composition, he said. As a result,they make very good chemical sensors, better than any sensor yet developed.He has been able to develop an integrated sensor that to date can measure partsper billion concentrations of nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, oxygen, andammonia. Moreover, it can measure all four simultaneously. Response times for the new supersniffer, as Rickert calls the sensor, are inthe millisecond range, compared to tens of seconds for standard gas sensors,Recovery times are faster too; under five seconds compared to minutes or hours. The Case Western team is now using polymer foils as electrochemical andbiochemical detectors. In spite of such successes, molecular electronics researchers point out thatMEDs will never replace totally those made of silicon and other inorganicsemiconductors. Molecular electronics will never make silicon technologyobsolete, said Carnegie-Mellons Birge. The lasers we will need, for example,will probably be built from gallium arsenide crystals on silicon wafers. But molecular electronic devices will replace many of those now made withsilicon and the combination of the two technologies should revolutionizecomputer design and function.