10 Year old discovers new molecule
Discussion
Cyder said:
Please can someone copy the text? I can't access the website at work.
MIKE KAYATTA | 6 FEBRUARY 2012 6:16 PM192
Fifth-grader Clara Lazen has achieved two major results by rearranging the atoms used in nitroglycerin: a unique new molecule, and making the rest of us feel rather dumb in the process.
There are many ways to discover new molecules and their properties, but I doubt many are more delightful or endearing than a ten-year-old fumbling some balls and sticks together before innocently asking her science teacher, "is this real?" ... and being right. And that's exactly what happened in Kenneth Boehr's fifth-grade science classroom when 10-year-old Clara Lazen approached his desk with a fully constructed tetranitratoxycarbon molecule.
The physical model young Clara had constructed was a somewhat complex combination of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon that Mr. Boehr had never seen before. To his credit, instead of dismissing the creation as mere child's play, he photographed it and sent it to a chemist at Humboldt State University for rigid analysis. His instincts were correct, and soon after, tetranitratoxycarbon was officially recognized as a feasible molecule.
Tetranitratoxycarbon doesn't exist in nature, but based on its unique arrangement of atoms, can be created artificially in a lab. These things take time and funding, however, so an "on-paper analysis" is coming up first. For those interested in a little light reading, you'll soon find a copy of Professor Robert Zoellner's (pictured above) paper on the subject (with a co-author credit given to Clara ... Awwww!) in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. According to Zoellner, this new molecule has all sorts of possible uses, spanning the gamut from bottling energy to blowing crap up. I can see why a 10-year-old might be subconsciously be drawn to it.
This is all great news for Clara, as she and the rest of her class have shown an increased interest in chemistry and the rest of the sciences since the discovery. And as for the science teacher, Mr. Boehr? We don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that the next six months of his life will involve little more than fifth-graders storming his desk with nonsensical molecule configurations hoping that they've stumbled onto something. Poor guy.
Source: PopSci
http://www.escapistmagazine.com said:
Fifth-grader Clara Lazen has achieved two major results by rearranging the atoms used in nitroglycerin: a unique new molecule, and making the rest of us feel rather dumb in the process.
There are many ways to discover new molecules and their properties, but I doubt many are more delightful or endearing than a ten-year-old fumbling some balls and sticks together before innocently asking her science teacher, "is this real?" ... and being right. And that's exactly what happened in Kenneth Boehr's fifth-grade science classroom when 10-year-old Clara Lazen approached his desk with a fully constructed tetranitratoxycarbon molecule.
The physical model young Clara had constructed was a somewhat complex combination of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon that Mr. Boehr had never seen before. To his credit, instead of dismissing the creation as mere child's play, he photographed it and sent it to a chemist at Humboldt State University for rigid analysis. His instincts were correct, and soon after, tetranitratoxycarbon was officially recognized as a feasible molecule.
Tetranitratoxycarbon doesn't exist in nature, but based on its unique arrangement of atoms, can be created artificially in a lab. These things take time and funding, however, so an "on-paper analysis" is coming up first. For those interested in a little light reading, you'll soon find a copy of Professor Robert Zoellner's (pictured above) paper on the subject (with a co-author credit given to Clara ... Awwww!) in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. According to Zoellner, this new molecule has all sorts of possible uses, spanning the gamut from bottling energy to blowing crap up. I can see why a 10-year-old might be subconsciously be drawn to it.
This is all great news for Clara, as she and the rest of her class have shown an increased interest in chemistry and the rest of the sciences since the discovery. And as for the science teacher, Mr. Boehr? We don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that the next six months of his life will involve little more than fifth-graders storming his desk with nonsensical molecule configurations hoping that they've stumbled onto something. Poor guy.
There are many ways to discover new molecules and their properties, but I doubt many are more delightful or endearing than a ten-year-old fumbling some balls and sticks together before innocently asking her science teacher, "is this real?" ... and being right. And that's exactly what happened in Kenneth Boehr's fifth-grade science classroom when 10-year-old Clara Lazen approached his desk with a fully constructed tetranitratoxycarbon molecule.
The physical model young Clara had constructed was a somewhat complex combination of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon that Mr. Boehr had never seen before. To his credit, instead of dismissing the creation as mere child's play, he photographed it and sent it to a chemist at Humboldt State University for rigid analysis. His instincts were correct, and soon after, tetranitratoxycarbon was officially recognized as a feasible molecule.
Tetranitratoxycarbon doesn't exist in nature, but based on its unique arrangement of atoms, can be created artificially in a lab. These things take time and funding, however, so an "on-paper analysis" is coming up first. For those interested in a little light reading, you'll soon find a copy of Professor Robert Zoellner's (pictured above) paper on the subject (with a co-author credit given to Clara ... Awwww!) in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. According to Zoellner, this new molecule has all sorts of possible uses, spanning the gamut from bottling energy to blowing crap up. I can see why a 10-year-old might be subconsciously be drawn to it.
This is all great news for Clara, as she and the rest of her class have shown an increased interest in chemistry and the rest of the sciences since the discovery. And as for the science teacher, Mr. Boehr? We don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that the next six months of his life will involve little more than fifth-graders storming his desk with nonsensical molecule configurations hoping that they've stumbled onto something. Poor guy.
Cyder said:
Please can someone copy the text? I can't access the website at work.
Fifth-grader Clara Lazen has achieved two major results by rearranging the atoms used in nitroglycerin: a unique new molecule, and making the rest of us feel rather dumb in the process.There are many ways to discover new molecules and their properties, but I doubt many are more delightful or endearing than a ten-year-old fumbling some balls and sticks together before innocently asking her science teacher, "is this real?" ... and being right. And that's exactly what happened in Kenneth Boehr's fifth-grade science classroom when 10-year-old Clara Lazen approached his desk with a fully constructed tetranitratoxycarbon molecule.
The physical model young Clara had constructed was a somewhat complex combination of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon that Mr. Boehr had never seen before. To his credit, instead of dismissing the creation as mere child's play, he photographed it and sent it to a chemist at Humboldt State University for rigid analysis. His instincts were correct, and soon after, tetranitratoxycarbon was officially recognized as a feasible molecule.
Tetranitratoxycarbon doesn't exist in nature, but based on its unique arrangement of atoms, can be created artificially in a lab. These things take time and funding, however, so an "on-paper analysis" is coming up first. For those interested in a little light reading, you'll soon find a copy of Professor Robert Zoellner's (pictured above) paper on the subject (with a co-author credit given to Clara ... Awwww!) in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. According to Zoellner, this new molecule has all sorts of possible uses, spanning the gamut from bottling energy to blowing crap up. I can see why a 10-year-old might be subconsciously be drawn to it.
This is all great news for Clara, as she and the rest of her class have shown an increased interest in chemistry and the rest of the sciences since the discovery. And as for the science teacher, Mr. Boehr? We don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that the next six months of his life will involve little more than fifth-graders storming his desk with nonsensical molecule configurations hoping that they've stumbled onto something. Poor guy.
She didn't really discover anything though. She connected some balls together with sticks. The balls and stick are designed so that if you connect them right you end up with a model of neutral molecule.
Luckily some calculations showed that the compound she drew is thermodynamically stable.
Teach anyone a few rules and they coul draw new molecules all day long, there is infinite variability. The skill is in making what you've thought up.
There is a minuscule chance that her compound is stable enough to put in a bottle, it looks like it would detonate as soon as you look at it. I certainly wouldn't want to try and make it, though there are some research groups which specialise in 'high energy materials'
Luckily some calculations showed that the compound she drew is thermodynamically stable.
Teach anyone a few rules and they coul draw new molecules all day long, there is infinite variability. The skill is in making what you've thought up.
There is a minuscule chance that her compound is stable enough to put in a bottle, it looks like it would detonate as soon as you look at it. I certainly wouldn't want to try and make it, though there are some research groups which specialise in 'high energy materials'
[quote=Du1point8
And as for the science teacher, Mr. Boehr? We don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that the next six months of his life will involve little more than fifth-graders storming his desk with nonsensical molecule configurations hoping that they've stumbled onto something. Poor guy.
[/quote]
I laughed.
And as for the science teacher, Mr. Boehr? We don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that the next six months of his life will involve little more than fifth-graders storming his desk with nonsensical molecule configurations hoping that they've stumbled onto something. Poor guy.
[/quote]
I laughed.
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