<p>The DuPonts are Chinese?</p>
<p>greenwitch, UVa has been listing duPont grants as a form of their institutional aid(defined as scholarships and grants: endowed scholarships,annual gifts and tuition funded grants for which the institution determines the recipient) for years. [url=<a href=“http://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/data_catalog/institutional/data_digest/aid.htm]UVa”>http://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/data_catalog/institutional/data_digest/aid.htm]UVa</a> - Need-based Undergraduate Financial Aid (detail)<a href=“from%20the%20common%20data%20set”>/url</a>. If the OP has contacted financial aid about his/her concerns (we don’t know if that has happened or not), then the OP is free to accept or decline future funding based on the findings and how he/she feels about where the funds are coming from.</p>
<p>"#78 good for them for inventing the Kevlar vests, since their original fortune came from the invention of gun powder!"</p>
<p>“The DuPonts are Chinese?”</p>
<p>My laugh of the day. :)</p>
<p>It is commonly known it is smokeless gunpowder.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www2.dupont.com/Government/en_US/gsa_contracts/Government_Projects.html[/url]”>http://www2.dupont.com/Government/en_US/gsa_contracts/Government_Projects.html</a></p>
<p>According to your link, Dupont didnt invent that either </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There’s the UVA connection. It looks like DuPont/Jefferson/UVA can’t be separated after all these years.</p>
<p>Thanks greenwitch - I believe the first Dupont died at Penn (blew himself up) working on this invention.</p>
<p>Colgate Darden was a Virginia Governor and past President of UVa. He was married to Constance du Pont,daughter of Irenee du Pont.</p>
<p>[Eastern</a> Dynamite Company](<a href=“http://www2.dupont.com/Heritage/en_US/related_topics/eastern_dynamite_company.html]Eastern”>http://www2.dupont.com/Heritage/en_US/related_topics/eastern_dynamite_company.html)</p>
<p>and here is a connection to Nobel (of the prize) and more and I think there is a connection to South Africa and de Beers, too.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Aramids aren’t exclusive to DuPont. In fact AzkoNobel produces para-aramids that Kevlar is part of (in fact it co-pioneered them – DuPont wasn’t the sole inventor) and AzkoNobel is a far more progressive company (being Dutch). </p>
<p>This is like asking how many lives have been saved due to Microsoft, when Apple or Sun would have provided just as good computers as well (had Microsoft never existed).</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, the OP’s main complaint with Dupont is that they make chemicals and materials which are not green, not because of any involvement with war activities. In other words, Dupont is evil because they make the stuff we use everyday. </p>
<p>Instead, they should only make things by “green” processes, and if those don’t exist yet, they should stop making these things and pour money into R & D until such green processes become available. </p>
<p>I wonder if the OP expects chemical companies to charge twice as much to produce chemicals in a “green” fashion and what effect he/she thinks that would have on said company.</p>
<p>Hi,evitaperon, since you have returned to the thread-Have you contacted financial aid to get answers to your questions/concerns?</p>
<p>I saw a video on local cable where the head of EPA was speaking to Shell Oil. She commented how she went to Tulane on a Shell scholarship. She laughingly said, Be careful what you wish for! I was not amused, as I know lots of kids who would have loved to have attended Tulane, but couldn’t afford to.</p>
<p>The EPA is a necessary institution, and it is needed to reign in the natural corporate tendencies of industry. However, I think the OP’s characterization of chemical companies as evil (though that word was not explicitly used) is over-the-top.</p>
<p>Even if the world becomes as green as it possibly can, chemicals will still be needed.</p>
<p>What’s wrong with being a Dupont person, and helping Dupont become more green?</p>
<p>I thnk the OP may want to put some of the concerns in historical perspective. du Pont has been around forever, obviously well before many of the more green initiatives. I would imagine they are making efforts to become more “green”, just like lots of businesses. I would also imagine that many powerful companies and families have some skeletons in the closet.
By the way,Darden was actually Colgate Darden,Jr(a UVa grad). His son (with Constance du Pont) was Colgate Darden lll. He had a bachelor’s and master’s from UVa and a doctorate in Physics from MIT. So,yes, I’m sure there are many du Pont ties to the University of Virginia.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I wonder if you should expect research labs to purchase their chemicals and amino acid reagents from the Chinese chemical industry simply because they are 3x cheaper. </p>
<p>Guys I study chemistry. Green chemistry is not some sort of tree hugging thing where we go around kumbayahing while holding test tubes. It means looking at sustainable system design. It means opting for long-term efficiency. Because I like chemicals. I also like not wasting them. </p>
<p>For example, beginner students of organic chemistry will learn many ways to oxidise alcohols. Highly environmentally toxic chromium(VI) reagents are widely-used in big industry, as is oxalyl chloride (a reaction which produces carbon monoxide and HCl). Chemical plants are generally geared towards such reagents, and movement to retrofit is slow, despite the presence of cleaner alternatives like catalytic TEMPO with bleach (an ingenious reaction). Sometimes, the greener alternatives are long-term more sustainable (for the company and the environment) and cheaper, but require a capital investment. </p>
<p>Big chemical firms’ management are often complacent and out of touch with their scientists and engineers. They are often motivated to pursue short-term year to year profits over long-term gains.</p>
<p>For example, Chinese firms often offer to sell formic acid at $600/ton (for 85% conc. soln). Western markets sell formic acid at $1500/ton. </p>
<p>Would you similarly ridicule those who would criticise domestic researchers and industry who would buy from this cheaper source, despite the Chinese chemical industry’s even worse environmental and labour records?</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>That’s not a problem just for big, evil chemical companies. That’s a problem for pretty much every company whose stock is publicly traded. Publicly traded companies are required by law to report their financial results not only year to year but also every quarter within any given year. And if the profits fall, or don’t rise as much as was expected, the stock takes a big plunge in value. If the stock continues to drop in value the CEO and maybe some other top officers get fired. And if it falls too far the company becomes an easy target for a takeover - where some takeover firm comes in and kills the company and sells off the parts, harvesting a nice profit for itself in the process.</p>
<p>Moral of the story: if a public company wishes to stay in business for very long and the CEO wishes to keep his job, the company HAS to pay close attention to short term profits. Smart companies will also invest what they can for long term growth, but only after the short terms profits are well-assured.</p>
<p>evitaperon…Again, I say, DON’T TAKE THE MONEY! You act as though you’ve been maligned and wronged somehow. This is financial aid, NOT a merit scholarship. You are not entitled to this money. It is a gift. You did nothing to deserve it. If you have ethical issues don’t take it! Seriously, who in earth do you think you are? Your ungrateful attitude is disturbing beyond belief. You have no grounds to complain, IMO, and apparently the overwhelming majority of posters on this thread. Quit bellyaching and either graciously accept the money or get a job and pay for your own education. I did it. It may come as a shock to someone such as yourself, but it can be done.</p>