POSSIBLY the world鈥檚 most powerful chemical explosive has been synthesised by
Philip Eaton and his colleagues at the University of Chicago. It is based on
cubane, the most highly 鈥渟trained鈥� stable molecule that can be made in any
quantity.
The cubane molecule is strained because its eight carbon atoms are packed
into a cube instead of the more common ring shapes. The unnaturally sharp angles
between the bonds are ready to fly apart, releasing energy. The Chicago team,
which originally created cubane, has now grafted nitrogen and oxygen onto the
cubes to make the new explosive molecule (Angewandte Chemie, vol 39, p
401).
In an explosion, the carbon burns with the help of the oxygen in the molecule
to form carbon dioxide and releases nitrogen, so the mixture expands
violently.
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