Now on ScienceBlogs: Another contender for the worst reporting ever: "Coma man"
Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
After this weekend's discussion of chirality in advertising, I figured I'd post an interesting, more rigorous example of chirality. Most chiral (left- or right-handed)molecules have "asymmetric" carbons, or ones with all different things attached....
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 8:53 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
Aromatic rings have 4n+2 pi electrons, where n is any integer. You don't see odd numbers of carbons in aromatic rings too often because the pattern of alternating double bonds is disrupted - if you have a cation or anion,...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 7:53 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
"NanoKid," perversely, is the lone progenitor of a whole army of NanoPutians. The others are generated by microwaving NanoKid with decapitated NanoPutian heads.
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 6:42 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
Ethylene oxide is the simplest possible epoxide, or three-membered cyclic ether:...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 8:58 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
Cyclopropane is another markedly strained ring (the smallest simple ring geometrically possible, really): It used to find some use as an anaesthetic. Strained rings being strained rings, however, it had a nasty habit of exploding. One movie made good use...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 9:00 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
Squaric acid is an unusually strong acid for an organic acid: It's also unique because of its strained ring. In general, five- and six-membered rings dominate in chemistry - hence the endless parade of hexagons. Higher rings are tolerated but...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 9:00 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
For a better idea of how the bond angles look, here is an energy-minimized structure of windowpane (4.4.4.4). Notice how it's (nearly) planar. That central carbon atom (middle gray dot, blues are hydrogens) is the one to watch....
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 9:00 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Topologically/Geometrically Interesting
Like cubane, windowpane (also named "[4.4.4.4]fenestrane" for the Latin for window) is another of those compounds people like because it looks like something anthropomorphic, with clean right angles (in contrast to the bulk of molecules, which assume their bond angles...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 6:44 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Greg Laden's Blog 11.24.2009
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