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> chemists experimenting at a nuclear accelerator in Vancouver observed that a reaction between bromine and muonium—a hydrogen isotope—slowed down when they inc

> chemists experimenting at a nuclear accelerator in Vancouver observed that a reaction between bromine and muonium—a hydrogen isotope—slowed down when they increased the temperature Isn't saying muonium is "a hydrogen isotope" sort of like saying a car is "a horse isotope"?

oasisbob 12y ago
Sounds like more of a pseudo-isotope? I thought proton equivalency was the fundamental definition of an isotope, though perhaps that's just a lie you feed chemistry undergrads.
- saalweachter 12y ago
  The antimuon is "proton-like" for a lot of purposes: it has a +1 charge and it's much heavier than an electron. So you've got a heavy bit with +1 charge and an electron orbiting it, you call it hydrogen.
  - tjradcliffe 12y ago
    It would have been very nice had the article said that, and described what "muonium" is. I took it to be a proton plus a muon, not an anti-muon plus an electron. To describe it as "a hydrogen isotope" is just about the optimal mix of uninformative and misleading!
    - logfromblammo 12y ago
      It's probably as close as you can get to accuracy while still keeping those who passed their high school chemistry classes in your audience. For the purposes of explanation, the antimuon-electron pair is chemically similar enough to a proton-electron pair to call it an isotope. It has a +1 massive center, with a probability distribution for a less-massive -1 charge cloud. Deuterium and tritium, two true isotopes of hydrogen, increase the mass of the center by adding neutrons. An antimuon is, I think, about 10% the mass of a proton. So muonium would act a lot like extra-light hydrogen for the instant before it decays. It would have been clearer to call it an "exotic atom, chemically similar to hydrogen", though. That wouldn't conflict with the common definition of isotope as an atom with the same number of protons as the reference atom, but with a different number of neutrons. I'm actually not aware of any exotic atoms that are not chemically similar to hydrogen or antihydrogen, as getting an exotic helium-like atom would require forming a +2 exotic center and making two -1 charges interact with it before it decays. That is likely beyond our current capabilities.
    - Coincoin 12y ago
      That's funny, because despite having no clue what muonium is, I instantly knew that line was typical science journalism bullshit. Am I too cynical or does dumbing down something to the point it makes no sense have actual value for some people?
abandonliberty 12y ago
Or maybe saying an ostrich is a horse isotope.

oasisbob 12y ago

Sounds like more of a pseudo-isotope? I thought proton equivalency was the fundamental definition of an isotope, though perhaps that's just a lie you feed chemistry undergrads.

saalweachter 12y ago
The antimuon is "proton-like" for a lot of purposes: it has a +1 charge and it's much heavier than an electron. So you've got a heavy bit with +1 charge and an electron orbiting it, you call it hydrogen.
- tjradcliffe 12y ago
  It would have been very nice had the article said that, and described what "muonium" is. I took it to be a proton plus a muon, not an anti-muon plus an electron. To describe it as "a hydrogen isotope" is just about the optimal mix of uninformative and misleading!
  - logfromblammo 12y ago
    It's probably as close as you can get to accuracy while still keeping those who passed their high school chemistry classes in your audience. For the purposes of explanation, the antimuon-electron pair is chemically similar enough to a proton-electron pair to call it an isotope. It has a +1 massive center, with a probability distribution for a less-massive -1 charge cloud. Deuterium and tritium, two true isotopes of hydrogen, increase the mass of the center by adding neutrons. An antimuon is, I think, about 10% the mass of a proton. So muonium would act a lot like extra-light hydrogen for the instant before it decays. It would have been clearer to call it an "exotic atom, chemically similar to hydrogen", though. That wouldn't conflict with the common definition of isotope as an atom with the same number of protons as the reference atom, but with a different number of neutrons. I'm actually not aware of any exotic atoms that are not chemically similar to hydrogen or antihydrogen, as getting an exotic helium-like atom would require forming a +2 exotic center and making two -1 charges interact with it before it decays. That is likely beyond our current capabilities.
  - Coincoin 12y ago
    That's funny, because despite having no clue what muonium is, I instantly knew that line was typical science journalism bullshit. Am I too cynical or does dumbing down something to the point it makes no sense have actual value for some people?

abandonliberty 12y ago

Or maybe saying an ostrich is a horse isotope.