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Astral Travel
ASTRAL TRAVEL: - Why would I put something so natural and real in a mystery segment? Although everyone travels astrally few are conscious of where they go or what happens when they are asleep. The waking consciousness seems a jealous protector of...

Spiritual Science
From my Encyclopedia: “NASA to study man who survives on liquids and sunlight June 30 2003 An Indian man, who claims to have survived only on liquids and sunlight for eight years, has been invited by NASA to show them how he does it. Hira...

Tools of Power
Tools of Power by Alan Tutt http://www.KeysToPower.com In the long history of religion, magick, and spirituality, there have been many different tools used to try and direct Power or gain the cooperation of spirits. These tools have taken many...

Why Most People Don't Really Want to Heal (Part 1)
I recently attended a metaphysical lecture facilitated by Guy Williams, a friend of mine who also happens to be a minister of Religious Science. After the lecture, Guy opened the floor for prayer requests, and one of the attendees asked for...

Why Venus Flytraps Make Lousy Science Fair Projects
Every year, I receive many phone calls from parents wanting to purchase Venus Flytraps for their kids' science project. I ask them what type of experiment that they are doing, and usually it is about what type of food source will keep the traps...

 
A cluster of atoms

Imagine a new variety of compounds; compounds that have properties never seen before or simply compounds that have properties more pronounced than those which we already know of at present. It would be really cool. No, in fact it is really cool! Indeed, an entirely new class of compound is on the verge of getting everybody’s attention.

Only some times back, it has been shown that a new division of compounds could exist. A new study now confirms the idea that a cluster of atom of an element, behaves differently from a single atom of the element. It is as if, a new element is being created.

For example, a cluster of 13 aluminium atoms behaves like a halogen (chlorine, bromine, iodine, etc). In addition, the aluminium cluster can react with halogens to form halogen compounds with novel properties!

However a cluster of one more aluminium atom, that is to say, 14 aluminium atoms, will act not like a halogen but rather like an alkaline earth (calcium, barium, etc) atom. And the ions that are hence formed are in fact totally new types of salts! For instance, when the 14 aluminium


atom cluster reacts with 3 iodine atoms, an ion with an absolute charge of –3 is formed. Surprisingly this resulting ion is very stable.

The atom cluster thing has also been a source of debate in the scientific community. According to Shiv Khanna, co-leader of the study, the periodic table must be altered to accommodate the clusters or ‘superatoms,’ as he calls them.

How? Simple. Just add a 3rd dimension to the periodic table. The 13 aluminium atom cluster will then be in the same row and column as iodine since it acts more or less like the latter. Only difference is that it will be in a new plane. Same thing for the 14 aluminium atom cluster in the alkaline earth group and for the other ‘superatoms.’

As if the periodic table wasn’t complicated enough! But I guess that it will be even more so if the additions are made. So don’t you dare think that your generation’s college chemistry was hard!

About the Author

Khalil A. Cassimally is currently Senior Columnist at BackWash.com and Columnist for bbc.co.uk h2g2 The Post where he writes 'Not Scientific Science' column.

 

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