Tetranitratoxycarbon Professor Robert Zoellner holds a model of tetranitratoxycarbon. He has a co-authorship on a paper about the new molecule--along with ten-year-old Clara Lazen. Humboldt State University
But it hasn’t been synthesized yet. So all it is is a collection of plastic balls on sticks... and a Very Learned Paper.
So she randomly put together some sticks and balls and got lucky? That’s the way the article reads. I wonder how many molecules I discovered while playing with Tinker Toys over the years.
She arranged them by color and appearance, repeating a pattern. She basically made a sculpture and got lucky it actually made something. She didn’t “discover” anything.
However, it may get her, in the long run, pursuing a better career than otherwise.
The little girl needs to patent it fast!
Clara Lazen is the discoverer of tetranitratoxycarbon, a molecule constructed of, obviously, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. It's got some interesting possible properties, ranging from use as an explosive...DOMESTIC TERRORIST! DOMESTIC TERRORIST! DOMESTIC TERRORIST!
an aside: When I was freshman in HS I had a friend 'Ken' who loved, no lived, Chemistry and had a fair Chem lab set up at his house (He had acid burns all over his hands-yuck). His goal was to make Trinitrotoluene at home from chemicals he ordered by mail. I stopped going to his house after he told me that :-) btw, that stuff is better known as ... TNT.
Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen...... everything you need to make a booooM!!
The science teacher who handed out models of molecules is named Boehr?
