Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Industry and Business News .




TECH SPACE
Throwing out the textbook: Salt surprises chemists
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 23, 2013


This is the structure of NaCl3, courtesy of Artem Oganov. Credit: Artem Oganov.

Table salt, sodium chloride, is one of the first chemical compounds that schoolchildren learn. New research from a team including Carnegie's Alexander Goncharov shows that under certain high-pressure conditions, plain old salt can take on some surprising forms that violate standard chemistry predictions and may hold the key to answering questions about planet formation.

The team, which also included Carnegie's Elissaios Stavrou and Maddury Somayazulu, among others, combined new computational methods and structure-prediction algorithms with high-pressure experiments to study the range of changes that simple sodium chloride undergoes under pressure.

They predict some unanticipated reaction results under high pressure that could help geochemists scientists reconcile ongoing mysteries involving minerals found in planetary cores.

The team first used advanced algorithms to identify an array of possible stable structural outcomes from compressing rock salt.

They then attempted to verify these predictions, using a diamond anvil to put salt mixed with molecular chlorine or metallic sodium under high pressured.

"We discovered that the standard chemistry textbook rules broke down," Goncharov said.

The well-understood rock salt, NaCl, turned into stable compounds of Na3Cl, Na2Cl, Na3Cl2 and NaCl7, all of which have highly unusual chemical bonding and electronic properties.

"If this simple system is capable of turning into such a diverse array of compounds under high-pressure conditions, then others likely are, too," Goncharov added. "This could help answer outstanding questions about early planet cores, as well as to create new materials with practical uses."

The research team also included lead author Weiwei Zhang of China Agricultural University; Artem Oganov, Qiang Zhu, Eddine Boulfelfel, and Andriy Lyakhov of State University of New York Stony Brook; Vitali Prakapenka of the University of Chicago; and Zuzana Konopkova of Photon Science DESY.

.


Related Links
Carnegie Institution
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TECH SPACE
Salt under pressure is not NaCl
Moscow, Russia (SPX) Dec 23, 2013
In the very beginning of the school chemistry course, we are told of NaCl as an archetypal ionic compound. Being less electronegative, sodium loses its electron to chlorine, which, following the "octet rule", thus acquires the 8-electron electronic configuration of a noble gas. All the rules predict NaCl to be the only possible compound formed by chlorine and sodium. The research team led ... read more


TECH SPACE
Throwing out the textbook: Salt surprises chemists

3D-printed components flown in British fighter jet

Mission to test laser communications across space distances a success

Large-aperture planar lens antennas with gradient refractive index

TECH SPACE
US Air Force selects Raytheon's high-bandwidth satellite terminal for secure, protected communications

Rocket Rokot brings 3 Russian military-purpose satellites on orbit

Military Communication Improved as 6th Boeing-built Wideband Satellite Enters Service

Radio Gateway Connects US and Allied Troops to a Common Mobile Network

TECH SPACE
Antares Launch Scheduled For Jan 7

Russian Rocket Puts Telecoms Satellite Into Orbit

The Athena-Fidus satellite is readied for Arianespace first heavy-lift mission of 2014

Boeing, Energia Achieve Mixed Results in Counterclaims

TECH SPACE
China to upgrade homegrown GPS to improve accuracy

US bans Russia's GLONASS for spying fears

Beidou to cover world by 2020 with 30 satellites

Obama bans construction of GLONASS stations in US without Pentagon's approval

TECH SPACE
India scraps AgustaWestland chopper deal over bribe allegations

Cathay Pacific orders 4 more long-haul Boeing planes

China's Zhejiang Loong Airlines confirms order of 20 A320s

Northrop Grumman Expands Support For Japan E-2C Hawkeye Program

TECH SPACE
Exfoliation method paves way for 2D materials to be used in printable photonics and electronics

Theorists Predict New State of Quantum Matter May Have Big Impact on Electronics

Low-power tunneling transistor for high-performance devices at low voltage

Sharpening the focus in quantum photolithography

TECH SPACE
China's HD observation satellite opens its eyes

More BARREL Balloons Take to the Skies

UAE to launch indigenous satellite in 2017

SAR images acquired by KOMPSAT-5

TECH SPACE
Scientists uncover hidden river of rubbish threatening to devastate wildlife

Cardinal, bishops plea for aid in Italy 'Triangle of Death'

Morocco begins emptying beached oil tanker

One dead, seven injured by contaminated China parcels




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement