Rockin' the Rocket Fuel: University of Giessen Crafts Most Explosive Molecule Ever
Researchers develop world's most potent energy source
Got some news that'll blow your mind? A team of brilliant scientists from Giessen University are the proud creators of hexanitrogen - the most energetic molecule on the planet! This bad boy can serve as an efficient energy storage or rocket fuel, and some folks are saying it's a Nobel Prize-worthy achievement. But there's a catch - production is a bit tricky, according to the maverick leaders themselves.
Hexanitrogen: A six-pack of nitrogen atoms! "This is the most energetic molecule ever produced," said study leader Peter Schreiner of Giessen University. Before now, it wasn't even possible to make a pure, neutral compound of nitrogen with more than two atoms. That's quite a feat, considering it's only happened once across the globe. The team had the smarts to share their work in the prestigious journal, "Nature."
Karl Christe, a renowned German-born chemist, had this to say, "This work is spectacular and, in my opinion, Nobel Prize-worthy." He's written plenty on nitrogen compounds and thinks this discovery is on another level, comparable to the discovery of carbon compounds like buckyballs and graphene.
So, how much boom can we expect from this explosion of science? When hexanitrogen decomposes, it releases more than twice the energy per gram compared to TNT. That's some serious punch! However, the researchers have their sights far beyond blowing things up. "In fact, hexanitrogen would be the most efficient energy storage," said Schreiner. The decomposed product is just ordinary nitrogen - it doesn't contribute to greenhouse gases and makes up 78% of our air.
But there are some obstacles to overcome if we want to harness this energy goldmine. Although hexanitrogen is currently produced at room temperature, it has a half-life of only about 35.7 thousandths of a second - talk about fleeting! That means half of it decomposes way too quickly for practical use. But fear not, at minus 196 degrees Celsius, the half-life of N6 extends to over 100 years - that's the temperature of liquid nitrogen, which is common in labs worldwide.
As an explosive, hexanitrogen probably isn't the best bet due to the necessary cooling needed, according to co-author Artur Mardyukov. "Our vision is to use N6 as an energy storage."
So, how does one cook up this energy powerhouse? The recipe is simple, but dangerous! The ingredients include silver (Ag), chlorine (Cl), and nitrogen (N). First, chlorine gas reacts with silver azide (AgN3), creating chlorine azide (ClN3). Then, the ClN3 reacts with more silver azide to form hexanitrogen (N6). However, both silver azide and chlorine azide are extremely volatile and explosive in themselves, so chemists interested in trying this recipe had better proceed with caution.
"N6 could also pose risks," said Schreiner. "Handling very energetic compounds is always risky if their decomposition is uncontrolled and all energy is released at once." In the future, research will focus on the safe production and handling of N6 as well as developing methods for controlled conversion to regular nitrogen. Additionally, the reaction needs to be scaled up for practical application.
Schreiner also envisions N6 as the most effective rocket fuel on the market. "N6 wouldn't burn with a flame," said Schreiner. "There would only be an energy pulse producing a large volume of gas, thus providing a lot of thrust." Unlike conventional fuels, it doesn't cause corrosion.
Sources: ntv.de, Simone Humml, dpa
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The groundbreaking discovery of hexanitrogen, a six-atom nitrogen compound, opens up possibilities in both energy storage and rocket fuel, as stated by study leader Peter Schreiner. Despite the challenges in production and safety, the potential for energy efficiency and environmental friendliness makes hexanitrogen exciting for both the science and industry communities.
The unprecedented energy released by hexanitrogen, over twice that of TNT per gram, and its inert nature as a decomposed product suggest potential advancements in finance and energy policy, as well as within the industry sector, revolutionizing how energy is stored and utilized.
