Method and device for carrying out a chemical reaction

Abstract

A method and device for carrying out a chemical reaction, by supplying to the chemical reaction energy from an electron- and, optionally, photon-containing energy wave that is induced in one or more aggregated molecular ensembles, wherein the emission of which is stimulated from the ensembles. Emission is stimulated from the ensembles by a wide variety of energy inputs, and energy derived from this electron and/or photon energy wave is advantageously used as an energy source to assist chemical reduction reactions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for carrying out a chemical reaction, comprising:
 conducting an endergonic chemical reaction; and   supplying to the chemical reaction energy comprising an electron polarization wave produced by a process comprising:   (A) pumping energy into a bounded volume of excitable medium containing a fabricated and ordered ensemble of a material comprised of closely spaced molecules,   wherein the ordered ensemble has (a) well defined energy states including a lower state, and one or more higher states above the lower state, and (b) a curve of electron binding energy levels versus a number of electrons added to one of the closely spaced molecules that is flat enough to enable an electron to be added to or subtracted from the molecule with a negligible change in total binding energy in the molecule; and (c) wherein the closely spaced molecules of the ring compound are arranged sufficiently close together to enable transfer of excited electrons between adjacent closely spaced molecules due to the property of the closely spaced molecules recited in (b), whereby an excited electron can be transferred between adjacent closely spaced molecules with a negligible change in binding energy, to form a longer-lived excited state because the excited electron is spin-forbidden to decay back to the lower state within the one of the closely spaced molecules to which it has moved,   wherein energy is pumped in an amount that is sufficient to raise a plurality of electrons in the closely spaced molecules to the one or more higher energy states;   (B) releasing stored energy in the longer-lived excited state, by a transition process that includes a charge transfer jumping from the longer-lived excited state in one molecule to the lower state in the one of the adjacent closely spaced molecule, to thereby produce an electromagnetic oscillation; and   (C) stimulating an output emission from the bounded volume of excitable medium by employing the electromagnetic oscillation to stimulate at least one additional successive transition of a second excited electron to release its energy of excitation by jumping to a neighboring molecule, thereby amplifying the electromagnetic oscillation with energy output, to thereby sum up a plurality of individual excitations adding to an amplitude of the stimulating electromagnetic oscillation, to create an output emission comprising the electron polarization wave that includes an energetically driven charge motion of electrons and/or holes.   
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the endergonic chemical reaction comprises a reaction that requires an amount of energy greater than a photon of visible light. 
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the pumping energy is directed onto the excitable medium in an amount sufficient to produce a localized population inversion, wherein the number of molecules in the one or more higher energy states is greater than the number of molecules in the lower energy state. 
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ordered ensemble of molecules consists essentially of a single species of molecule. 
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ordered ensemble comprises molecules of a ring compound. 
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ordered ensemble includes a layer having a thickness dimension and a longitudinal axis running transverse to the thickness dimension, and wherein the electron polarization wave moves in the direction of the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the output is generated within the device by amplifying the wave with energy output that adds coherently to the amplitude of the electromagnetic oscillation and adds energy to the moving electrons and/or holes. 
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the ordered ensemble of molecules comprises coronene. 
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the ring compound comprises a member of the coronene family in crystalline form. 
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the ring compound comprises chlorophyll-like rings of carbon atoms. 
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the layer comprises a linear stack of molecules of the ring compound in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the layer. 
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ring compound comprises conjugated rings in planar molecules. 
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the ordered ensemble comprises at least one dimer of the ring compound. 
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the chemical reaction comprises splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. 
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the ring compound comprises chlorophyll-like rings of carbon atoms, coronene and similar rings that behave as a ring of six linked entities that can be excited into higher energy states, and ruthenium tris bipyridine. 
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the ring compound comprises phthalocyanine. 
     
     
         17 . A device for carrying out a chemical reaction, comprising:
 a reactor for conducting an endergonic chemical reaction; and   a device, for supplying to the chemical reaction, energy comprising an electron polarization wave produced by a process comprising:   (A) pumping energy into a bounded volume of excitable medium containing a fabricated and ordered ensemble of a material comprised of closely spaced molecules,   wherein the ordered ensemble has (a) well defined energy states including a lower state, and one or more higher states above the lower state, and (b) a curve of electron binding energy levels versus a number of electrons added to one of the closely spaced molecules that is flat enough to enable an electron to be added to or subtracted from the molecule with a negligible change in total binding energy in the molecule; and (c) wherein the closely spaced molecules of the ring compound are arranged sufficiently close together to enable transfer of excited electrons between adjacent closely spaced molecules due to the property of the closely spaced molecules recited in (b), whereby an excited electron can be transferred between adjacent closely spaced molecules with a negligible change in binding energy, to form a longer-lived excited state because the excited electron is spin-forbidden to decay back to the lower state within the one of the closely spaced molecules to which it has moved,   wherein energy is pumped in an amount that is sufficient to raise a plurality of electrons in the closely spaced molecules to the one or more higher energy states;   (B) releasing stored energy in the longer-lived excited state, by a transition process that includes a charge transfer jumping from the longer-lived excited state in one molecule to the lower state in the one of the adjacent closely spaced molecule, to thereby produce an electromagnetic oscillation; and   (C) stimulating an output emission from the bounded volume of excitable medium by employing the electromagnetic oscillation to stimulate at least one additional successive transition of a second excited electron to release its energy of excitation by jumping to a neighboring molecule, thereby amplifying the electromagnetic oscillation with energy output, to thereby sum up a plurality of individual excitations adding to an amplitude of the stimulating electromagnetic oscillation, to create an output emission comprising the electron polarization wave that includes an energetically driven charge motion of electrons and/or holes.   
     
     
         18 . A device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the ordered ensemble comprises molecules of a ring compound. 
     
     
         19 . A device as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the ring compound comprises chlorophyll-like rings of carbon atoms, coronene and similar rings that behave as a ring of six linked entities that can be excited into higher energy states, and ruthenium tris bipyridine. 
     
     
         20 . A device as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the ring compound comprises phthalocyanine.