Chemistry Nexus

by WebElements: the periodic table on the web

Mosaic_of_river_channel_and_ridge_area_on_Titan
Lands, rivers and methane springs: latest images of Titan. Titan’s atmosphere is mostly nitrogen but there is also methane and many other organic compounds.

This mosaic of three frames provides unprecedented detail of the high ridge area including the flow down into a major river channel from different sources.

Mosaic of river channel and ridge area on Titan. Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

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December 8th, 2009

Posted In: Atmospheric chemistry, Chemistry, Environmental chemistry

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An egg-shaped fullerene, or “buckyball egg” has been made and characterized by chemists in America at UC Davis (California), Virginia Tech, and Emory and Henry College in Virginia. They were trying to encapsulate terbium atoms within fullerenes but instead encapsulated terbium nitride within an egg-shaped fullerene. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja063636k]
The compound Tb3N@C84 was synthesized using an arc-discharge generator by vaporizing composite graphite rods containing a mixture of Tb4O7, graphite, and iron nitride as catalyst in a low-pressure He/N2atmosphere.

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August 6th, 2006

Posted In: Chemistry, Crystallography, Nanoscience and nanotechnology

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Single-bonded cubic form of nitrogen

Everyone knows that elemental nitrogen exists in the atmosphere as dinitrogen, N2. There is a triple bond between the two nitrogen atoms. This is true – but under certain conditions, a fascinating N-N single bonded phase has been characterised.1

In 1985 it was predicted that at high pressure, nitrogen would transform to a solid with a single-bonded crystalline structure called polymeric nitrogen.

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July 4th, 2004

Posted In: Chemistry, Periodic table

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This historical document “On the Constitution of the Atmosphere” by John Dalton was presented to the Royal Society in March 1826.1

This is an interesting read for anyone and thanks to the Royal Society for its service that makes these documents available to all.

References

1. Dalton, J. On the Constitution of the Atmosphere. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.
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February 24th, 1826

Posted In: Atmospheric chemistry, Chemistry, History of chemistry

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