Substituting hot water for dangerous acids.

Just as aspirin is a wonder drug, hot water may be a wonder liquid. In research continuing over several years, scientists have found that "a lot of organic chemical reactions that are normally carried out with strong acids or bases can be carried out with just water heated above its boiling point," explains Michael Siskin, senior research associate, Exxon Research and Engineering Co., Linden, N.J. "In this age, you want to be as environmentally friendly as you can, and water is pretty safe."

Siskin and Alan Katritzky of the University of Florida, Gainesville, are trying to get the word out about the power of water to other scientists so they can use it in their own research. "Most chemists aren't aware of this and wouldn't have expected it," Siskin maintains. The technology, called aquathermolysis, has implications in a wide range of fields. One example is plastics. "A lot of the plastics we use every day can be easily converted back into their starting materials (recycled) by reacting with water," Siskin notes.

In the field of chemical synthesis, production processes often generate undesirable by-products. With the help of aquathermolysis, some by-products can be converted...