Why is it important for researchers to know about chemical impurities?

Answer 1

In Metallurgy and materials science, impurities are often added to change the characteristics of a material to make it more desirable.

For example, adding carbon to iron (to make steel) can make it stronger. If you're trying to build a bridge, tensile strength is important to you, so you want steel as opposed to raw iron.

Or, if you want to make a computer chip, raw silicon is not very conductive, but if you add a little bit of boron or nitrogen, you can improve its electrical properties to make it more suitable for your computer chip.

Answer 2

Adding impurities to substances may alter the nature of those substances very much, whether for good or for ill.

The addition of small amounts of carbon to iron is required to make steel, which has some desirable properties iron does not have.

Zinc sulfide crystals are often used in phosphorescent and fluorescent pigments. Pure zinc sulfide, however, is not good for either purpose. Color and brightness can both depend on what impurities are present.

Sapphires and Rubies are both crystals of corundum. The differences in color depend on what impurities are present. If one were to make artificial corundum, the color could be adjusted by careful addition of impurities.

Table salt is NaCl. Iodine is often added, and can be viewed as an impurity, to prevent goiter.

The practice is something called 'Doping'

Answer 3

An impurity could affect a reaction's results

Answer 4

It's important because you never know when it might explode or give you damage to your body. It's also important because they might make a mess and you parents will be angry.0.o