The Chemistry of Money
Introduction
The topic I chose was the chemistry of money. Everyone around the world has had experience with money. It is how we are able to survive. We buy things with it, we gamble it and trade it. The actual making of money and how it affects your brain is exactly what this website will be discussing. I chose this topic because money is known by everyone, but not everyone knows what is really in it and how even the sight of money can affect us so much in our life. One way money affects your life is it can change your brain chemistry. When you are use to having so much money you may not want to share, which leads to greed. Money can make you do some pretty stupid stuff. For example, if you and your friend are fighting about who owes money to who, your friendship will no longer be good and accidents can happen. Money really does affect your life. If you don't have enough money you could be living on the streets hungry. Diving in deeper to the composition of money shows how that simplest elements, such as cotton, can determine how your life is going to be.
Composition of ...
Money itself is made of cotton fibers (94%) and linen. Cotton doesn't have a chemical formula but it is mostly Cellulose (C6H10O5). There also contains small amounts aluminum chloride (ALCL3), and polyamide epichlorohydrin (CLCH2CH(OH)CH2CL). The process to make money uses a mixed of chemicals. The main ingredient is polyvinyl alcohol (C2H4O). This chemical is white, odorless and used in making money. The main gas used is Polypropylene (CH2=CHCH3). There is also a chemical component that happens in your brain when money is involved. It is called Dopamine (C8H11NO2). Dopamine is a chemical in your brain that makes you feel good when you do something. More explanation on Dopamine will be explained further down the website.
Main Chemicals, Compounds, Components
The main ingredient that is super important in the composition of money is the cotton fibers. Again, cotton doesn't have a chemical formula but it is mostly Cellulose (C6H10O5). Next is Dopamine, which is in the brain, located in the frontal lobes and is released when you get pleasure from anything. An interesting fact about dopamine is that i we didn't get dopamine from eating we would never eat. Crazy right! Also activity in the brain with money is the same as someone addicted to cocaine. This shows just how important the role of dopamine plays when we deal with money.
Chemistry's Role
Money is made from red and blue cotton fibers that give the currency its texture, this is one of the ways that you can tell if the money is real or fake.
When you try to photocopy a $100 bill the threads used to make the security thread show up in transmitted light and looks red when you put an ultraviolet light to it. Yes, our currency is man-made. 94% of our currency is made cotton fiber. It is printed by the government and is made from a classified recipe. When dealing with money, whether through spending it or negotiating, you get a sense of pleasure. The chemical that gives you this feeling is dopamine. Just seeing or feeling money can release this chemical. Dopamine is also called the “reward chemical” because whenever you feel good dopamine is your reward so you can feel good. It is located in the frontal lobes of the brain.
Background Research
The main ingredients in money all around the world:
- Polypropylene
- coins atoms
- cotton fibre
- Gelatin
- polyvinyl alcohol
- polyamide epichlorohydrin
- aluminum chloride
- melamine formaldehyde resin
- nucleus accumbens
- Dopamine
- prefrontal cortex
Resources
MAKING MONEY
- http://www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/curriculum-blogs/chemistry-blogs/chemistry-of-money
- Money made of around the world
- The Euro and banknote of Australia is make from a polymer
- Alloys make coins harder so they don’t wear and tear. Also the size of the coins atoms play apart in how hard the coin is because it is harder for them to move past each other depending on their size.
- http://www.elementsdatabase.com/the_chemistry_of_paper_money.php
- The money in the UK is made from cotton fibre and linen but the main component is Cellulose.
- In New Zealand, Canada and Australia’s money is a plastic called Polypropylene.
- Gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol makes the money stronger. This is used in other countries besides the U.S.
- To determine if the money is real, most currencies have a thread, which is a mark that only real money would have on it.
- The thread has metallic, fluorescent and magnetic components. This also helps to distinguish the fakes from the real money.
- https://www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/cotton-currency.cfm
- The U.S. dollar is made from cotton fiber paper. It is very easy to tear.
- https://www.quora.com/What-materials-are-used-to-make-currencies
- In U.S dollars there are low amounts of polyamide epichlorohydrin, aluminum chloride and melamine formaldehyde resin.
- The ink used to get the actual color that money has is classified.
IN THE BRAIN
- http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/this-is-your-brain-on-money.html
- Affects the nucleus accumbens which is a part in the brain linked to the “reward” feeling.
- Did you know activity in the brain when thinking or dealing with money has the same activity as someone who is addicted to cocaine?
- Dopamine is a chemical released during the process of handling or dealing with money.
- The part affected in the brain by negotiating money is the prefrontal cortex.
- http://time.com/money/4086901/brain-money-science-studies-fmri/
- It can change your behavior a lot. For example, greed.
- http://www.britannica.com/science/polypropylene
- Polypropylene= gaseous, CH2=CHCH3, melting point is 340 degrees fahrenheit
- http://textilefashionstudy.com/what-is-cotton-fiber-chemical-composition-of-cotton-fiber/
- cotton fibre= 94% cellulose, 1.5% protein, 01% pectic acid
- https://www.google.com/search?q=chemical+compound+for+gelatin&oq=chemical+compound+for+ge&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.14774j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=chemical+formula+for++polyvinyl+alcohol
- polyvinyl alcohol= C2H4O, white, odorless and used in making money
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epichlorohydrin
- polyamide epichlorohydrin= CLCH2CH(OH)CH2CL
- https://www.google.com/search?q=chemical+compound+for+gelatin&oq=chemical+compound+for+ge&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.14774j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=chemical+formula+for+aluminum+chloride
- aluminum chloride= ALCL3
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/dopamine
- Dopamine= C8H11NO2
About the Author
Shelbi Sullivan is a senior at Billings Senior high school. She is the youngest of three and loves it. She likes to go for hikes and be outside mostly in the summer. Through her high school years she was involved in Speech and Debate and lettered. She says it was probably the best thing she ever did in school. She in interested in law and will be attending the University of Montana to pursue this interest.