Happy Mole Day! | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Mole Day is celebrated on October 23rd to honor Avogadro's number, which is used in chemistry to describe large quantities of small things like atoms or molecules. Researchers have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce artemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria, making it more accessible and affordable.

Key Insights

• 🫀 Mole Day commemorates Avogadro's number, which is crucial in chemistry to describe large quantities of atoms or molecules.
• #️⃣ Avogadro proposed the concept of equal volumes of gases containing the same number of molecules, later leading to the calculation of Avogadro's number.
• 🧑‍🚒 Genetically engineering tobacco plants has enabled the production of larger amounts of artemisinin, an important drug in the fight against malaria.
• 🤑 Researchers have found that feeding mice artemisinin-rich tobacco leaves is effective in reducing malaria parasites in their bloodstream.
• 😒 The use of plant cells to encapsulate artemisinin may protect it from the digestive system, allowing for better absorption in the bloodstream.
• 🌱 The researchers aim to replicate this achievement in edible plants like lettuce to make the drug more accessible and safe for consumption.
• 🧑‍⚕️ Malaria continues to be a significant global health problem, and affordable access to artemisinin could potentially save more lives.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What is Mole Day, and why is it celebrated?

Mole Day is celebrated to honor Avogadro's number, which is significant in chemistry. Avogadro's number represents the number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance. Mole Day, occurring on October 23rd at 6:02 AM, is a play on Avogadro's number, which is 6.022 x 10^23.

Q: How did Avogadro come up with the concept of Avogadro's number?

Avogadro proposed the concept of equal volumes of gases containing the same number of molecules. However, he did not have a way to count the molecules to prove his hypothesis. It was only later, after the discovery of the charge of an electron by Robert Millikan, that scientists could calculate Avogadro's number.

Q: Why is artemisinin important in the fight against malaria?

Artemisinin is an effective drug used to treat malaria. The compound quickly binds to important proteins in the malaria parasite, killing it. However, artemisinin is expensive to produce as it occurs naturally in small amounts in the sweet wormwood plant, which is difficult to grow.

Q: How have researchers made artemisinin production more accessible?

Researchers have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce artemisinin. Tobacco plants are easy to grow and genetically alter, making them a suitable choice for producing the drug. This method has proven more successful in producing larger amounts of artemisinin compared to previous studies.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Mole Day is celebrated on October 23rd to commemorate Avogadro's number, which is used in chemistry to describe large quantities of atoms or molecules.

• Avogadro's number was named after the Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro, who proposed the concept in the early 1800s.

• To make artemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria, more accessible and affordable, researchers have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce larger amounts of the compound.