Friday, March 29, 2019

[cqxjyucf] White phosphorus Platonic polyhedron

When was the chemical structure of white phosphorus, four phosphorus atoms bonded in a regular tetrahedron, first determined?  Was it the first discovered Platonic solid shaped molecule?  Was it the first discovered Platonic solid shaped allotrope?  Is it still the only Platonic solid shaped allotrope?  We don't have octaazacubane yet, though we do have regular cubane.  If we allow regular honeycombs, then we also have graphite and all cubic crystal structures.

Tetrahedranes.

A tetrahedron with sp3 carbons at the vertices and at the midpoints of edges (10 carbons total), plus hydrogens where needed, has probably been synthesized.  It is 4 fused cyclohexane rings forming a cage.

Previously on geometrically symmetric molecules.

Create a tetrahedral sculpture made of white phosphorus.

Can a perfect crystal of white phosphorus be elegantly cut into a tetrahedron along crystal planes?  What is the crystal structure of white phosphorus?  Does it even crystallize?  Tetrahedra cannot fill space by themselves.

White phosphorus seems rarely mentioned in geometry despite its notable shape.  Is it being censored because of its military uses?

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