Chemistry for Everyone

Musical Chemistry: Integrating Chemistry and Music A Nine-Part Series on Generating Music from Chemical Processes
Mahadev Kumbar Department of Chemistry, Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY 11530; kumbarm@ncc.edu

We live in a world that is not only tantalizingly beautiful, it is also filled with spine-tingling mysteries, pleasant surprises, and mind-boggling intrigues. Human nature includes curiosity and the impulse to understand the world around us: experts use the tools of their fields to explore the natural world. For example, chemists investigate the world in terms of atoms, molecules, and chemical reactions. One (perhaps surprising) aspect of the natural world is that each and every process in naturechemical or otherwiseproduces some kind of sound, whether audible (20 Hz20 kHz) or nonaudible (<0 Hz and >20 kHz), characteristic of that process. Those sounds, I believe, are the music that is the universal language of the natural world. Music and chemistrybeing integral parts of the natural worldhave shared commonalities: they both use fundamental units as building blocks (chemical elements in chemistry and musical notes in music); they both have time dimensions that are meaningful; and both find expression in the language of mathematics. Few attempts have been made in the past to understand the relationship between music and macroscopic and microscopic processes, including atoms and elementary particles (13). No studies, as far as I know, relate music to chemical reactions, although the problem is of considerable interest to both chemists and musicians. Such investigations may lead to discovery of new classes of chemical reactions not yet seen. Therefore, in a ninepart series, I have explored the musical aspects of a variety of chemical reactions and also a few other chemical processes. Their titles are shown in List 1; detailed explanations for each, as well as sound files, are provided in the Supplemental Material.w Overview Music is an art; yet it is based on the science of mathematics. Chemistry is a science that is also describable in the language of mathematics. Hence, it is possible to express chemistry in the language of music. In part I, I have tried to answer this fundamental question: do chemical reactions make music?

Techniques for Using Chemistry To Produce Sound To answer this question, I designed a process that starts with a chemical reaction and progresses through several steps that ultimately lead to a musical piece playable either on a computer or with a musical instrument. The steps include: describing the nature of the sounds; establishing a correspondence between the perceptual attributes and physical attributes of the sounds; and transforming the sounds via mathematics and principles of music theory into music that humans can play on musical instruments or computers with appropriate software. The various steps involved are shown in the following flow diagram:
chemical reaction Fourier transform

frequency amplitude spectrum phase music theory music (computer music or instrumental music)

sound

The main quest here is to transform the time domain (chemical reaction) to the frequency domain (music) using the Fourier transformation. Once the physical attributes are extracted through this technique, they are then converted into perpetual attributes using music theory so that music can be produced. In that respect, this article describes a strategy to transform aspects of chemical reactions into music. Mathematics under It All Before music can be derived from chemical reactions (part I), the essential mathematical techniques and the methodology need to be developed. This is achieved in part II using the firstorder reaction as a model function: (1) A B The reaction rate can be measured either in terms of rate of disappearance of reactant (A) or rate of formation of product (B). The equation for the first kind is Ct  C0 e  k1t (2) where Ct is the concentration of A at time t, C0 is the concentration of A at time zero, and k1 is the first-order rate constant. Similarly, the equation for the second kind can also be written.

List 1. Titles for Each in a Nine-Part Series Developed To Integrate Chemistry and Music I: Can Chemical Reactions Make Music? II: Fourier Analysis of First-Order Reaction Kinetics

III: Ordinary Chemical Reactions IV: Oscillating Chemical Reactions V: Nuclear Decay Reactions VI: Pharmacokinetic Reactions VII: Enzyme Kinetic Reactions VIII: Musical Properties of Electron Transition IX: Musical Properties of the Periodic Table

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Chemistry for Everyone

Our aim here is to extract the frequency content of eq 2. If a given function satisfies Dirichlets condition (4), it is guaranteed that it will have frequency content. However, except for oscillating chemical reactions, all chemical reactions are not periodic in nature and go to completion in a finite time. Therefore, a methodology is developed to make the first-order reaction equation periodic using Fourier series techniques as well as a protracting method. Furthermore, discrete Fourier transformation (DFT) is applied to selected model functions to extract frequency, amplitude, and phase values. The results are summarized in the form of spectral analysis. Transforming Chemical Characteristics To Produce Specific Aspects of Sound It is important to understand how C0 and k1 influence the music. It appears that C0 simply manipulates the amplitude (loudness) without altering the quality of music (timbre), although k1 seems to influence the timbre. The frequencies produced by these model functions fall in the mHz range, which is well below the threshold frequency of human hearing (20 Hz). In addition, the amplitudes are smaller in magnitudes than audible ones. For that reason, the frequency and amplitude are magnified to hear the sounds. Sound files generated using the Csound (5) computer program are included in the Supplemental Material.w Magnified frequencies are further transformed into musical notes using principles of music theory (6, 7) based on an equal-tempered scale. Observe that the derived musical notes are dependent upon the way the magnification is carried out; magnification using the factor of 10n (where n is an integer) is applied in such a way as to bring the lowest frequency just above the frequency of the lowest musical note (27.5 Hz) in an equal-tempered scale. Then the same magnification factor is applied to the remaining frequencies. The grand staff playable
250 200

on the piano is generated with the help of Mozart software (8). (This software application and the Csound computer program are used, respectively, to build musical staves and sound files in all parts of these tutorials. See the Supplemental Material for further details.w) From Reaction to Spectra to Sound In part III of this series, 25 real ordinary first-order reactions (12 reactions for the rate of disappearance of reactants and 13 for the rate of formation of products) are examined using the methodology presented in part II. The experimental data are first fitted to first-order rate equations, and subsequently used in carrying out the DFT analysis. For example, the spectral analysis for the decomposition of N2O5(g) is shown in Figure 1. The deduced frequencies for the reactions considered here also fall in the infrasound region (<20Hz) and hence are magnified along with amplitudes to produce sound files. The musical staves are also constructed to play the music on an instrument. For example, the grand staff for decomposition of N2O5( g) is presented in Figure 2. Overall, the difference in temperature, type of experimental methods, and mode of chemical reactions appear to have some influence on the type and the quality of the music produced. There is a great distinction between oscillating chemical reactions and ordinary chemical reactions in terms of their lifespan; ordinary chemical reactions go to completion in finite times whereas oscillating chemical reactions either never go to completion or take a long time. Besides, oscillating reactions satisfy Dirichlets condition while ordinary chemical reactions do not. The study of these reactions is undertaken in part IV of the series using oscillating curves simulated by transcendental functions. The results of DFT analysis indicate that these reactions, like ordinary chemical reactions, also produce frequencies in the infrasound region. Because the simulated curves resemble the oscillating curves produced by the real oscillating chemical reactions, it is logical to assume that real oscillating reactions also have the ability to generate the music. Nuclear Decay with Pleasing Harmonics The musical apects of nuclear decay reactions are considered in part V, which also obey the first-order rate and have half-lives ranging from microseconds to years. A total of seven nuclides are considered and DFT analysis is carried out as outlined in part II. The results indicate that frequencies produced by all decay reactions (except 217Rn decay) also lie in the infrasound region. However, those of 217Rn fall within the range of human hearing. Each decay reaction produces a string of harmonics with distinct frequencies that influences the timbre. The range of frequencies for nuclear decay and chemical reactions are compared in Figure 3.

Amplitude

150 100 50 0 0 5 10 15

Frequency Index, k
Figure 1. Plot of amplitude values versus the frequency index for decomposition of N2O5(g).

#
Figure 2. Grand musical staff for decomposition of N2O5(g).

1934 Journal of Chemical Education Vol. 84 No. 12 December 2007 www.JCE.DivCHED.org

Chemistry for Everyone

Deriving BioBeats Biologically oriented systems are considered in the next two parts of this tutorial series. Part VI explores pharmacokinetic systems with one-, two-, and three-compartment models using specific examples. The frequencies produced by these examples are in the infrasound region, ranging from mHz to Hz. Pharmacokinetic reactions basically involve the flow of a drug in the body as time progresses and are quite different from chemical or nuclear reactions. As such, they appear to play dissimilar and distinct music compared with chemical or nuclear systems. Part VII studies the musical aspects of a few enzyme-kinetic reactions. Spectral analysis suggests that amplitude and phase values depend upon the nature of the system as well as whether the inhibitor is present or not. The deduced frequencies also fall in the infrasound region. Atomic Theory and Music Theory Part VIII of this series presents musical properties of atomic spectra of selected atoms of groups IA, VIIIA, and period 2. The literature wavelength values are first converted to frequencies

and are then transformed into musical notes using music theory. The music produced by each atom is not similar and appears to be quite distinctive. The musical transition (musicalenergy) diagram is developed for the H atom (Figure 4). The last part of this series, part IX, explores musical properties of the periodic table based on atomic spectra. When atoms are clustered together like groups, periods, metals, and so forth, they tend to generate unique and distinct music. Figure 5 shows

n6 n5

G7
n4

F5

A#3

D2

Energy

G7
n3

D#5

Brackett series

G7

A#4

Paschen series

nuclear decay reactions

s m h d y

n2

F#7 D#7

Balmer series

1s 1 Hz

6 t 101 s 1.667 t 10
2

3.6 t 103 s Hz 2.778 t 104 Hz

8.64 t 104 s 1.157 t 105 Hz

3.156 t 107 s 3.169 t 108 Hz

n1

chemical reactions
Figure 3. Time spectrum for nuclear decay and chemical reactions.
1 IA
1H
G#6 (Ab6)

Lyman series Figure 4. A musical energy (transition) diagram depicting musical notes associated with each energy level of a hydrogen atom.
2 VIIIA

2 IIA
4Be
D#8 (Eb8)

Musical Periodic Table

2 IIIA
5B
B5

2 IVA
6C
F6

2 VA
7N
D7

2 VIA
8O
C#7 (Db7)

2 VIIA
9F
C7

2He
D8

3Li
G5

10Ne
C8

11Na
E5

12Mg
A#5 (Bb5)

3 IIIB
21Sc
F5

4 IVB
22Ti
G#5 (Ab5)

5 VB
23V
A5

6 VIB
24Cr
G5

7 VIIB
25Mn 43Tc 75Re

8 VIIIB
26Fe 44Ru
A5

9 VIIIB
27Co 45Rh
G#5 (Ab5)

10 VIIIB
28 Ni 46Pd
G5

11 IB
29Cu 47Ag
C6

12 IIB
30Zn
G5

13Al 31Ga
D#5 (Eb5)

14Si 32Ge
B5

15P
D6

17S
E6

17Cl
G6

18Ar
B6

A#5 (Bb5) D#6 (Eb6)

19K
C5

20Ca
C#5 (Db5)

33As 51Sb 83Bi

34Se 52Te
B5

35Br
E6

36Kr
G#6 (Ab6)

A#5 (Bb5) G#5 (Ab5) C#6 (Db6) G#5 (Ab5) C#6 (Db6)

C#6 (Db6) C#6 (Db6)

37Rb
C5

38Sr
E5

39Y
G#5 (Ab6)

40Zr
G5

41Nb
G5

42Mo 74W

48Cd
F5

49In
E5

50Sn 82Pb

53I
D#6 (Eb6)

54Xe
D6

F#5 (Gb5) F#5 (Gb5)

A#5 (Bb5) C#6 (Db6)

55Cs 87Fr
G#4 (Ab4)

56Ba 88Ra
C5

57La 89Ac
D5

72Hf

73Ta

76Os

77Ir

78Pt

79Au
E6

80Hg
E6

81Ti

84Po
G5

85At
F6

86Rn
C5

G#4 (Ab4) D#5 (Eb5) A#4 (Bb4) F#5 (Gb5) G#5 (Ab5) G#5 (Ab5) A#5 (Bb5) A#5 (Bb5) A#5 (Bb5) A#5 (Bb5)

C#6 (Db6) G#5 (Ab5) G#5 (Ab5)

Lanthanide Series Actinide Series

58Ce
B4

59Pr
B4

60Nd 92U
C5

61Pm 93Np
C#5 (Db5)

62Sm
D5

63Eu
F#5 (Gb5)

64Gd
D5

65Tb
D5

66Dy
G5

67Ho
G5

68Er
D#5 (Eb5)

69Tm
G5

70Yb
G5

70Lu
F#5 (Gb5)

F#5 (Gb5) C#5 (Db5)

90Th
D#5 (Eb5)

91Pa
C5

94Pu
B4

Figure 5. The musical properties of the periodic table as a whole are summarized in the form of a musical periodic table.

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Chemistry for Everyone

Table 1. Summary of Physical Attributes and Types of Sound Associated with the Chemical Processes Investigated Chemical Process First-order reaction Oscillating reaction Nuclear decay reaction Pharmacokinetics reaction Enzyme kinetic reaction Electron transition
a

a Order of Frequency Range, Hz 1 1

a Order of Amplitude Range 1 1

Type of Sound Infrasound Infrasound Infrasound, very low audible Infrasound Infrasound Ultrasound

b Type of Music

106 1 102 103 1 101

104 5 101 103 4 101

Micromusic Micromusic Micromusic, very faint music Micromusic Micromusic Macromusic

1 1012 1 103
1

3.0

100 1 101

106 1 103

1 1 1

102 1 101 103 5 102 104 5 101

1 103 1 100 1013 1 1014

1
b

Approximate values.

Music in the infrasound region is termed micromusic; music in the ultrasound region is termed macromusic.

the musical properties of the periodic table as a whole, summarized in the form of the musical periodic table. Considering the musical properties of the entire periodic table on a macro level, it is intuitive to conclude that the pitch of the musical notes increases from left to right in any period and decreases from top to bottom in any group similar to firstionization energy. The summary of physical attributes and the types of sound associated with each chemical process is provided in Table 1. In conclusion, I have demonstrated that various chemical, nuclear, and biological systems indeed possess the ability to produce some kind of music that is characteristic of their nature. Acknowledgements I would like to thank F. Richard Moore of the University of California, San Diego and George C. Schatz of Northwestern University for valuable suggestions. I would also like to thank Journal staff for their diligence, skill, and support.
wSupplemental

and music)? Sound and music (or music and sound)? Musichemistry? In parallel with other branches of chemistrysuch as physical chemistry, biological chemistry, and so forthI have chosen to call this musical chemistry.

Literature Cited
1. Murchie, G. Music of the Spheres, Vols. III; Dover Publications, Inc.: New York, 1967. 2. Maruni, J; Lefebvre, R; Rantanen, M. Science and Music: From the Music of the Depths to the Music of the Spheres. In Advanced Topics in Theoretical Chemical Physics; Maruani, J., Lefebvre, R., Brandas, E. J., Eds.; Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics 12; Kluwer Academic Publishers: Norwell, MA, 2003; pp 478514. 3. de Lozanne, A. Science 2004, 305, 348349. 4. Tolstov, G.P. Fourier Series; Dover Publications, Inc.: New York, 1962. 5. Vercoe, B. Csound, version 4.23. http://www.csounds.com/ (accessed Sep 2007). 6. Henry, E. Fundamentals of Music, 3rd ed.; Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999. 7. Miller, M. The Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory; Alpha Books: Indianapolis, IN, 2002. 8. Webber, D. Mozart Virtuoso, version 8.01. http://www.mozart. co.uk/index.htm (accessed Sep 2007).

Material

Detailed explanatory texts and sound files for each of the nine tutorials are available in this issue of JCE Online. Note
1. I had debated about what to name this series of tutorials: musical chemistry or chemical music? Music and chemistry (or chemistry

1936 Journal of Chemical Education Vol. 84 No. 12 December 2007 www.JCE.DivCHED.org