From PNNL: “Mock Atoms Prove Attractive”
January 2012
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“Results: When studying an atom’s ability to attract nearby electrons, scientists rely on electronegativity scales, which describe each atom’s ability to pull in these negatively charged particles. But what about pseudo-atoms, a.k.a. those molecular fragments that don’t change much in various environments and are considered to behave like atoms? Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Heriot-Watt University in Scotland put the tetrahedral ammonium radical, made from a nitrogen atom and four hydrogen atoms, on the electronegativity scale. It has the same attractive force as potassium and has the same size as an atom of rubidium.
Why it matters: Electron attraction and repulsion determine how atoms and pseudo-atoms behave in different environments. This study provides scientists with the information they need to better predict, manipulate and control those behaviors, whether in batteries for solar farms or catalysts for bio-fuel production.”
The results graced the cover of Chemistry: A European Journal and were highlighted in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemistry World.
For bio-fuel production, this study provides scientists with the information they need to better predict, manipulate and control the behaviors of atoms and pseudo-atoms.
See the full article here.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory where interdisciplinary teams advance science and technology and deliver solutions to America’s most intractable problems in energy, the environment and national security.
