4 ms·

Another New Form of Carbon

173 points by User23 7y ago

nitrogen 7y ago
This is actually interesting, if true. The headline should be something like "semimetallic, reflective form of carbon discovered" though, for the HN audience. "It's a weird one" just doesn't catch here.
- knowThySelfx 7y ago
  Click bait headlines are rather dishonest.
  - entee 7y ago
    It's actually a version of Carbon that has interesting and strange behavior, so I'm not sure it's inaccurate.
- epistasis 7y ago
  And ferromagnetic too! Seems extremely interesting and weird.
- ah700 7y ago
  could it be used for insulation?
hmwhy 7y ago
A bit of a tangent, I think the following part is gold and really captures the moment: > ... It comes over you when you’re suddenly faced with a new result that shows you just how strange and unexpected the physical universe can be. At first, all you can do is just stand there and wonder what the hell just happened (and whether you can do it again!) The feeling is an intense version of the amazement you feel at watching a particularly good magic trick, intense because it’s not a trick.
p1mrx 7y ago
There is a better article at DOI 10.1126/science.366.6467.782, if you know where to find such things. When Chemical Vapor Deposition is used to produce simple structures like diamond or graphene, the carbon source is typically methane, with one carbon atom. These scientists instead used molecules with 6 carbon atoms in a † shape, which deposit to form a more complex structure. Their unofficial name is "U-carbon" (for "unusual"). They suspect that variations of the process could produce hundreds of new allotropes. Edit: The article from the DOI is also at https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-and-magnetic-new-form-pure-carbon-dazzles-potential https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-...
- ANY_TRUERS_LULW 7y ago
  >if you know where to find such things. sci-hub.tw
  - turbonoobie 7y ago
    ;)
Beltiras 7y ago
I like this writer, recognized his headshot from Things I Won't Work with [1]. He's able to write about dead serious chemistry and make you laugh your ass off. EDIT: If you like that sort of stuff he has a whole category of TIWWW: [2] [1] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/th... [2] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/category/things-i-wont-work-with https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/category/thin...
goodmachine 7y ago
"The group has not yet settled on a name for the mystery material. Jena calls it U-carbon—U for unusual. But Therrien, inspired by medieval alchemists who sought in vain for “adamant,” an unbreakable lodestone, is calling it adamantia." Is adamantium trademarked? https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-and-magnetic-new-form-pure-carbon-dazzles-potential https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-...
- undersuit 7y ago
  Is that how trademarks work? Can I not name a newly discovered species a trademarked name as well?

173 points by User23 7y ago

This is actually interesting, if true. The headline should be something like "semimetallic, reflective form of carbon discovered" though, for the HN audience. "It's a weird one" just doesn't catch here.

knowThySelfx 7y ago
Click bait headlines are rather dishonest.
- entee 7y ago
  It's actually a version of Carbon that has interesting and strange behavior, so I'm not sure it's inaccurate.
epistasis 7y ago
And ferromagnetic too! Seems extremely interesting and weird.
ah700 7y ago
could it be used for insulation?

hmwhy 7y ago

A bit of a tangent, I think the following part is gold and really captures the moment: > ... It comes over you when you’re suddenly faced with a new result that shows you just how strange and unexpected the physical universe can be. At first, all you can do is just stand there and wonder what the hell just happened (and whether you can do it again!) The feeling is an intense version of the amazement you feel at watching a particularly good magic trick, intense because it’s not a trick.

p1mrx 7y ago

There is a better article at DOI 10.1126/science.366.6467.782, if you know where to find such things. When Chemical Vapor Deposition is used to produce simple structures like diamond or graphene, the carbon source is typically methane, with one carbon atom. These scientists instead used molecules with 6 carbon atoms in a † shape, which deposit to form a more complex structure. Their unofficial name is "U-carbon" (for "unusual"). They suspect that variations of the process could produce hundreds of new allotropes. Edit: The article from the DOI is also at https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-and-magnetic-new-form-pure-carbon-dazzles-potential https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-...

ANY_TRUERS_LULW 7y ago
>if you know where to find such things. sci-hub.tw
- turbonoobie 7y ago
  ;)

Beltiras 7y ago

I like this writer, recognized his headshot from Things I Won't Work with [1]. He's able to write about dead serious chemistry and make you laugh your ass off. EDIT: If you like that sort of stuff he has a whole category of TIWWW: [2] [1] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/th... [2] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/category/things-i-wont-work-with https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/category/thin...

goodmachine 7y ago

"The group has not yet settled on a name for the mystery material. Jena calls it U-carbon—U for unusual. But Therrien, inspired by medieval alchemists who sought in vain for “adamant,” an unbreakable lodestone, is calling it adamantia." Is adamantium trademarked? https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-and-magnetic-new-form-pure-carbon-dazzles-potential https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/next-graphene-shiny-...

undersuit 7y ago
Is that how trademarks work? Can I not name a newly discovered species a trademarked name as well?