in the plant, steam is piped from point to point, retiono reaction. materials. the basic raw materials coming into the plant are coalr peoleum, both high in energy. first, ethane gas is produced. and then, by selective addition of oxygen to ethane, we get a variety of industrial chemicals. the plant is constructed so that each product in the chain of reactions has a successively lower level of energy. ethane is at the top of the energy ladder. from this, ethyl alcohol is produced. below that is ethylene glycol, used in antifreeze and adhesives. a further step down the ladder produces acetic acid for polymers like vinyls and rayon. and at the bottom of the energy ladder are carbon dioxide and water. so whether a reaction will go or not depends on the balance of energy and entropy of the reactants and the products. we can trade off one of these against the other. for instance, humans like to have ordered things around them. we like to build. can we construct a local defeat of entropy in our environment? yes, we can, if we put in energy. that's what's going on in t