The discovery of a new type of molecular carbon allotrope, known as cyclocarbon, has been a long-standing challenge for chemists. A team of researchers from Oxford University’s Department of Chemistry, led by Dr Yueze Gao and senior author Professor Harry Andersen, have successfully synthesized a stable 48-atom carbon ring in solution at room temperature. This achievement marks a significant breakthrough in the field, as previous attempts to study cyclocarbons were limited to the gas phase or extremely low temperatures (4 to 10 K).

The researchers employed a unique approach by synthesizing a cyclocarbon catenane, where the C48 ring is threaded through three other macrocycles. This design increases the stability of the molecule, preventing access to the sensitive cyclocarbon core. The team developed mild reaction conditions for the unmasking step in the synthesis process, which allowed them to achieve a stable cyclocarbon in solution at 20°C.

The cyclocarbon catenane was characterized using various spectroscopic techniques, including mass spectrometry, NMR, UV-visible, and Raman spectroscopy. The observation of a single intense 13C NMR resonance for all 48 sp1 carbon atoms provides strong evidence for the cyclocarbon catenane structure.

Lead author Dr Yueze Gao stated that achieving stable cyclocarbons in a vial at ambient conditions is a fundamental step, making it easier to study their reactivity and properties under normal laboratory conditions. Senior author Professor Harry Andersen added that this achievement marks the culmination of a long endeavor, with the original grant proposal written in 2016 based on preliminary results from 2012-2015.

The study also involved researchers from the University of Manchester, the University of Bristol, and the Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. This collaborative effort demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary research in advancing our understanding of complex molecular systems.

This achievement has significant implications for future studies on cyclocarbons and their potential applications in various fields. The researchers’ innovative approach to synthesizing stable cyclocarbons at room temperature opens up new possibilities for exploring the properties and reactivity of these intriguing molecules.

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in nuclear physics, measuring the heaviest nucleus ever recorded to decay via proton emission. This achievement marks the first time such a feat has been accomplished in over 30 years, with the previous record set in 1996.

The research team from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, successfully produced and measured the lightest known isotope of astatine, 188At, consisting of 85 protons and 103 neutrons. This exotic nucleus was created through a complex process involving a fusion-evaporation reaction and identified using a sophisticated detector setup.

“The properties of this nucleus reveal a trend change in the binding energy of the valence proton,” explains Doctoral Researcher Henna Kokkonen, who led the study. “This could be explained by an interaction unprecedented in heavy nuclei.”

The research team’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of atomic nuclei and their behavior. By expanding a theoretical model to interpret the measured data, scientists can now better comprehend the intricate mechanisms governing these complex systems.

Kokkonen notes that studying such exotic nuclei is extremely challenging due to their short lifetimes and low production cross sections. However, precise techniques like those employed in this study have made it possible to unlock new insights into the fundamental nature of matter.

The research article was published in Nature Communications as part of an international collaboration involving experts in theoretical nuclear physics. This breakthrough discovery not only pushes the boundaries of human knowledge but also has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the universe and its mysteries.

As researchers from Penn State and Colorado State have demonstrated, tiny gold “super atoms” could revolutionize the field of quantum computing. These clusters, which have a core of gold surrounded by other molecules called ligands, can mimic the properties of trapped atomic ions in a gas, allowing scientists to take advantage of these spin properties in a system that can be easily scaled up.

The researchers found that gold clusters can exhibit spin polarization, a property that is usually fixed in a material. This means that electrons in the cluster can be aligned with each other, making it possible to maintain their correlation for a longer time and remain accurate for much longer periods. The current state-of-the-art system for high accuracy and low error in quantum information systems involve trapped atomic ions — atoms with an electric charge — in a gaseous state.

The gold clusters, which can be synthesized relatively large amounts at one time, have the key properties needed to carry out spin-based operations. They can mimic the super-positions that are done in the trapped, gas-phase dilute ions, and have been identified as having 19 distinguishable and unique Rydberg-like spin-polarized states.

The researchers determined the spin polarization of the gold clusters using a similar method used with traditional atoms. While one type of gold cluster had 7% spin polarization, a cluster with different ligands approached 40% spin polarization, which is competitive with some of the leading two-dimensional quantum materials.

This research has opened up new possibilities for chemists to use their synthesis skills to design materials with tunable results, and could lead to breakthroughs in quantum computing and other fields. The researchers plan to explore how different structures within the ligands impact spin polarization and how they could be manipulated to fine tune spin properties.

In conclusion, tiny gold “super atoms” have the potential to revolutionize the field of quantum computing and could lead to breakthroughs in various fields.