Organic chemist Larry Koskans inspiration arrived in the mid-1980s

Question

Organic chemist Larry Koskan’s inspiration arrived in the mid-1980s, when he read a report by marine biologists describing how oyster shells grow. It was known that oysters secrete calcium carbonate as an essential constituent of their hardened exteriors, but the biologists discovered that they also produce a special protein-based agent that molds the mineral into their shells’ characteristic shape.

At the time, Koskan was studying the properties of water-soluble polyacrylates. Among other things, these widely used additives help to stem the buildup of damaging mineral-scale deposits (carbonate and sulphate compounds) on the surfaces of industrial water-treatment equipment. What Koskan realized was that the agent produced by the oysters—polyaspartate— inhibits the formation of calcium carbonate and could also therefore control scale. Polyaspartate mimics the scale-inhibiting activity of polyacrylates because it has a similar chemical structure. But because the backbone of polyaspartate is made of peptides (chains of amino acids) rather than the hydrocarbon compounds that constitute polyacrylates’ backbone, it is subject to bacterial action (i.e., it is biodegradable).

Polyacrylates, inexpensive and versatile chemicals, are easy to manufacture and process. In laundry detergents, they act as dispersants that keep dirt suspended in the wash water. As a recent alternative to phosphates, which, via wastewater, pollute surface waters, some half a billion pounds of polyacrylates are used in detergents worldwide every year. Additionally, some polyacrylates have chemical configurations with a tremendous affinity for water, making them ideal in superabsorbent materials for disposable products like baby diapers, which currently account for around 2 billion pounds in annual production of polyacrylates. The trouble is, polyacrylates last virtually forever, and these vast quantities of the highly stable substance are being discarded in landfills.

With requests by consumer products companies for environmentally friendly products growing rapidly, Koskan started his own small company and began researching cost-effective ways of producing polyaspartate for industrial use. Soon, leading chemical companies also began researching the issue, with the consensus being that polyaspartate was the most suitable replacement for polyacrylates. Unfortunately, as with many emerging technologies that lack a supporting infrastructure, polyaspartate’s price was estimated to be four to five times that of the high-volume-production alternative. Given this, the consumer products industry lost interest in the technology, and the chemical industry shelved it. Koskan’s company, however, believing that polyaspartate could nonetheless be market-competitive on its own merits, decided to persevere and focus on specialty application niches. Polyaspartate has since shown unparalleled success at eliminating scale in offshore oil production equipment and is being used by the farming industry to keep chemical fertilizers in the soil longer, reducing pollution of groundwater by the fertilizers. If Koskan’s company can show continued success, it may yet help enliven an environmental chemistry sector saddled with a reputation for ineffectiveness and high cost.    
  1   
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) Polyaspartate was once thought to be the inevitable successor to polyacrylates, but technical shortcomings restrict its usefulness to applications in specialized niche markets.  
 (B) The success of Koskan’s company in the development of polyaspartate for industrial uses may improve the reputation of the environmental chemical industry.  
 (C) Polyaspartate, which Koskan researched and developed as an environmentally friendly alternative to polyacrylates, shows promise for commercial applications but also faces barriers.  
 (D) Koskan’s work with polyaspartate has shown that environmentally friendly alternatives to many industrial chemicals can be found by studying plants and animals.  
 (E) Although polyaspartate is superior to existing products, it will probably fail in the marketplace because of hurdles that stand in the way of its being economically competitive.

2   
 2. Which one of the following scenarios would conform most closely to the assessment given in the final sentence of the passage?

(A) Koskan’s company produces a carefully designed marketing video that demonstrates the effectiveness of polyaspartate in eliminating scale in both oil production equipment and water treatment equipment.  
 (B) Koskan’s company comes under increased market competition from leading chemical companies that are developing alternatives to polyaspartate to reduce scale in offshore oil equipment.  
 (C) Using revenues from sales of polyaspartate to the oil and farming industries, Koskan’s company is able to develop low-cost ways of producing large volumes of polyaspartate for general use.  
 (D) Koskan’s company performs studies demonstrating that polyacrylates are accumulating in landfills at a rate that is increasing steadily.  
 (E) Koskan’s company discovers that oysters secrete a highly specialized form of polyaspartate that is difficult to isolate in laboratory settings.

3   
 3. Which one of the following most accurately captures the meaning of the phrase “on its own merits” as it is used in the third-to-last sentence of the passage?

(A) without funding from government agencies  
 (B) without reference to its chemical properties  
 (C) once its newest industrial uses are more widely publicized  
 (D) not merely as a general substitute for polyacrylates  
 (E) because of its unsurpassed ability to reduce scale

4   
 4. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author believes that the failure of leading chemical companies to fully embrace polyaspartate as a replacement for polyacrylates

(A) was a result of fears about the potentially harmful consequences to human health of using a new and untested material  
 (B) was not primarily a result of considerations involving costs and profits  
 (C) was not due to a widely accepted belief that polyaspartate is ineffectual  
 (D) was a result of the relative scarcity of the raw material from which polyaspartate is made  
 (E) was due to the belief that consumers would not trust products containing polyaspartate

5   
 5. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) describe and analyze one attempt to develop and market a new, promising alternative to an existing product  
 (B) demonstrate the mistakes made in one attempt to develop and market a new, promising alternative to an existing product  
 (C) illustrate the kinds of problems that are likely to be encountered in attempts to market a new, promising alternative to an existing product  
 (D) comment on the state of affairs in an industry that tends to overlook environmentally friendly innovation in favor of maintaining strong profits  
 (E) explain the chemical processes that make a particular new product a promising alternative to an existing product

6   
 6. The passage most strongly suggests that which one of the following is true of both polyaspartate and polyacrylates?

(A) They perform identically within any industrial application.  
 (B) They were both discovered as a result of research performed by marine biologists.  
 (C) The chemical industry was aware of their existence long before industrial applications for either one were developed.  
 (D) They both have been used to reduce water pollution.  
 (E) At the time they were first brought to market, leading chemical companies were skeptical about their commercial success.

AKtilul · Answer

Hey ! could someone explain why the answer is not A here ? : 
6. The passage most strongly suggests that which one of the following is true of both polyaspartate and polyacrylates?

(A) They perform identically within any industrial application.
(B) They were both discovered as a result of research performed by marine biologists.
(C) The chemical industry was aware of their existence long before industrial applications for either one were developed.
(D) They both have been used to reduce water pollution.
(E) At the time they were first brought to market, leading chemical companies were skeptical about their commercial success.

miag · Answer

Hi,

A is not correct because its a bit too strong an answer choice since the passage says polyaspartate  mimics the scale-inhibiting activity  of polyacrylates,  not that it matches polyacrylates in every industrial use.  Some examples of parts of the passage that highlight that both do not perform identically:
 
  ....But because the backbone of polyaspartate is made of peptides ....that constitute polyacrylates’ backbone, it is subject to bacterial action  
   Polyacrylates, inexpensive and versatile chemicals, are easy to manufacture and process.  
  polyaspartate’s price was estimated to be four to five times that of the high-volume-production alternative

What is supported for both is (D):

Polyacrylates are used in detergents as an alternative to phosphates, helping reduce surface-water pollution.  
  Polyaspartate is used to keep fertilizers in soil longer, reducing groundwater pollution.   
 Hope this helps!

kartickdey · Answer

Bunuel ,  KarishmaB ,  Sajjad1994  Please clarify
Q1: I intentionally and deliberately did not choose option C because in the option "Polyaspartate, which Koskan researched and developed as an environmentally friendly alternative to polyacrylates, shows promise for commercial applications but also faces barriers." it is mentioned that Koskan developed it but Koskan did not develop it as a synthetic material. It used to exist as a natural product.
Q5: In option C "was not due to a widely accepted belief that polyaspartate is ineffectual", it is mentioned that it was a widely accepted belief that polyaspartate is ineffectual but in the passage nowhere it is mentioned or I think, can not be drawn as an inference from the passage

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Yes, you are right but reading carefully we can see that Koskan was inspired by it, He researched cost-effective ways to produce it for industrial use (synthetically, presumably). The passage says:

“Koskan started his own small company and began researching cost-effective ways of producing polyaspartate for industrial use.”

So he worked on making it viable commercially, not discovering it as a natural substance. And this is what  (C)  says.  “Researched and developed”  here fits because he researched production methods and developed its industrial applications, even if the molecule itself is natural.

For question #5, yes your reasoning is fine,  (C)  is incorrect and  (A)  is the official answer.

kartickdey · Answer

thanks for the explanation of Q1. sorry, my second question is about Q4. I mistakenly wrote is as Q5. Please clarify the doubt for the Q4

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The wording of  option C  is bit tricky.

It says:
 “was not due to a widely accepted belief that polyaspartate is ineffectual.”

This does not mean that such a belief existed widely. It says the failure was not due to such a belief.

According to the passage:

Leading chemical companies and the consumer products industry stopped pursuing polyaspartate for mass-market uses because the cost was too high, not because it was ineffective. In fact, polyaspartate was seen as the most suitable replacement (paragraph 4), implying they thought it worked.Later, Koskan’s company successfully used it in niche applications, showing effectiveness.

The author would therefore agree that the shelving was not because people thought it didn’t work, but because of cost. Hence  (C)  is correct because the author’s presentation suggests polyaspartate is effectual, and the failure to adopt it widely was due to price, not doubts about efficacy.

Organic chemist Larry Koskans inspiration arrived in the mid-1980s

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Organic chemist Larry Koskans inspiration arrived in the mid-1980s

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards