The Molecular Gate Effect discovered by Valerie Bell and three other research chemists at Engelhard has drawn worldwide attention mainly for its potential to stretch the world energy supply by allowing once-unusable natural gas to be purified at minimal cost. But the nature of this chemical phenomenon is so fundamental that it is also being applied in other fields, such as ambulatory medical care.

This rare discovery marks a breakthrough in the development of adsorbents used for separating and removing contaminants while improving performance of chemical products and industrial processes. The Molecular Gate Effect represents the ability to control the pores of specific crystals precisely so molecules of nearly identical size may be separated and purified. This control offers broad flexibility in manipulating the molecular sieves at the core of many important industrial separation processes.

Although commercial development remains embryonic, the Molecular Gate Effect is already beginning to make an impact on a dwindling energy supply. A $1.2 million demonstration is now using the process to deliver 200,000 cubic feet per hour of off-grade natural gas to an interstate pipeline in Colorado. In the health-care field, the invention is being used to develop new adsorbents for processes that split the constituents of air for generating medical oxygen. This oxygen technology is being developed commercially under a $4.5 million program jointly funded by Engelhard and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

This patent is the inventor's third, although she is awaiting approval for 12 others, ranging from detergent additives to additional Molecular Gate applications. Bell received her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry in 1983 from the University of Delaware. As a research associate, she is the highest-ranking female scientist on Engelhard's 600-member technical staff.