PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Throwing out the textbook: Salt surprises chemists

2013-12-20
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Alexander Goncharov
agoncharov@carnegiescience.edu
202-478-8947
Carnegie Institution
Throwing out the textbook: Salt surprises chemists

Washington, D.C.—Table salt, sodium chloride, is one of the first chemical compounds that schoolchildren learn. New research from a team including Carnegie's Alexander Goncharov shows that under certain high-pressure conditions, plain old salt can take on some surprising forms that violate standard chemistry predictions and may hold the key to answering questions about planet formation. Their work is published December 20 in Science.

The team, which also included Carnegie's Elissaios Stavrou and Maddury Somayazulu, among others, combined new computational methods and structure-prediction algorithms with high-pressure experiments to study the range of changes that simple sodium chloride undergoes under pressure. They predict some unanticipated reaction results under high pressure that could help geochemists scientists reconcile ongoing mysteries involving minerals found in planetary cores.

The team first used advanced algorithms to identify an array of possible stable structural outcomes from compressing rock salt. They then attempted to verify these predictions, using a diamond anvil to put salt mixed with molecular chlorine or metallic sodium under high pressured.

"We discovered that the standard chemistry textbook rules broke down," Goncharov said.

The well-understood rock salt, NaCl, turned into stable compounds of Na3Cl, Na2Cl, Na3Cl2 and NaCl7, all of which have highly unusual chemical bonding and electronic properties.

"If this simple system is capable of turning into such a diverse array of compounds under high-pressure conditions, then others likely are, too," Goncharov added. "This could help answer outstanding questions about early planet cores, as well as to create new materials with practical uses."

The research team also included lead author Weiwei Zhang of China Agricultural University; Artem Oganov, Qiang Zhu, Eddine Boulfelfel, and Andriy Lyakhov of State University of New York Stony Brook; Vitali Prakapenka of the University of Chicago; and Zuzana Konopkova of Photon Science DESY.



INFORMATION:

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, DARPA, the government of the Russian Federation, China's Foreign Talents Introduction and Academic Exchange Program, German BMBF, the Young Teachers Development Project in China Agricultural University, the Army Research Office, and EFREE a BES-EFRC center at Carnegie.

Calculations were performed on XSEDE facilities and on the cluster of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the DOE-BES. X-ray diffraction experiments were performed at GeoSoilEnviroCARS (Sector 13), Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory and Petra III, DESY, Hamburg, Germany. GeoSoilEnviroCARS is supported by the National Science Foundation - Earth Sciences and Department of Energy - Geosciences. Use of the Advanced Photon Source was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. PETRA III at DESY is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF).

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

X-ray laser maps important drug target

2013-12-20
X-ray laser maps important drug target New technology allows faster, more accurate imaging of hard-to-study membrane proteins Menlo Park, Calif. — Researchers have used one of the brightest X-ray sources on the planet to map the 3-D structure ...

Anxiety linked to higher long-term risk of stroke

2013-12-20
Anxiety linked to higher long-term risk of stroke American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report The greater your anxiety level, the higher your risk of having a stroke, according to new research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. The ...

Natural gas saves water, even when factoring in water lost to hydraulic fracturing

2013-12-20
Natural gas saves water, even when factoring in water lost to hydraulic fracturing A new study finds that in Texas, the U.S. state that annually generates the most electricity, the transition from coal to natural gas for electricity generation is saving ...

Scientists decode serotonin receptor at room temperature

2013-12-20
Scientists decode serotonin receptor at room temperature X-ray laser opens up new paths for investigating biomolecules This news release is available in German. An international research team has decoded the molecular structure of the medically ...

Gladstone scientists discover how immune cells die during HIV infection; identify potential drug to block AIDS

2013-12-20
Gladstone scientists discover how immune cells die during HIV infection; identify potential drug to block AIDS Gladstone plans to launch Phase 2 trial with existing anti-inflammatory SAN FRANCISCO, CA—December 19, 2013—Research led by scientists at the Gladstone ...

Greater dietary fiber intake associated with lower risk of heart disease

2013-12-20
Greater dietary fiber intake associated with lower risk of heart disease As little as 1 extra portion of wholegrains plus more fruit and vegetables can decrease risk In recent years, a decline in both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease ...

Nearly 8 percent of hip implants not backed by safety evidence

2013-12-20
Nearly 8 percent of hip implants not backed by safety evidence Current device regulation process 'seems to be entirely inadequate,' warn researchers The researchers say the current regulation process "seems to be entirely inadequate" and they call for a ...

Government's voluntary approach to improving hospital food is not working, argues expert

2013-12-20
Government's voluntary approach to improving hospital food is not working, argues expert 3 out of 5 hospital meals found to contain more salt than a Big Mac In an article published on bmj.com today, she says the government has wasted more than £54 million ...

Many people with diabetes still lose vision, despite availability of vision-sparing treatment

2013-12-20
Many people with diabetes still lose vision, despite availability of vision-sparing treatment Researchers blame lack of education about advances in preventive care Despite recent advances in prevention and treatment of most vision loss attributed to diabetes, ...

Salty surprise -- ordinary table salt turns into 'forbidden' forms

2013-12-20
Salty surprise -- ordinary table salt turns into 'forbidden' forms High-pressure X-ray experiments violate textbook rules of chemistry This news release is available in German. High-pressure experiments with ordinary table salt have produced ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Heat and heavy metals are changing the way that bees buzz

What’s behind the enormous increase in early-onset gastrointestinal cancers?

Pharmacogenomics expert advances precision medicine for bipolar disorder

Brazilian researcher explores centenarian stem cells for aging insights

Dr. Xuyu Qian's breakthrough analysis of 18 million brain cells advances understanding of human brain development

Gene networks decode human brain architecture from health to glioma

How artificial light at night damages brain health and metabolism

For ultrasound, ultra-strength not always a good thing

Matching your workouts to your personality could make exercising more enjoyable and give you better results

Study shows people perceive biodiversity

Personality type can predict which forms of exercise people enjoy

People can accurately judge biodiversity through sight and sound

People diagnosed with dementia are living longer, global study shows

When domesticated rabbits go feral, new morphologies emerge

Rain events could cause major failure of Waikīkī storm drainage by 2050

Breakthrough in upconversion luminescence research: Uncovering the energy back transfer mechanism

Hidden role of 'cell protector' opens cancer treatment possibilities

How plants build the microbiome they need to survive in a tough environment

Depression due to politics and its quiet danger to democracy addressed in new book 'The Sad Citizen'

International experts and patients unite to help ensure all patients are fully informed before consenting to new surgical procedures

Melting glaciers could trigger more explosive eruptions globally, finds research

Nearly half of U.S. grandchildren live within 10 miles of a grandparent

Study demonstrates low-cost method to remove CO₂ from air using cold temperatures, common materials

Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) welcomes 13 students to prestigious Summer Fellowship program

Mass timber could elevate hospital construction

A nuanced model of soil moisture illuminates plant behavior and climate patterns

$2.6 million NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program changed drastically when anxiety was added as a qualifying condition

1 in 5 overweight adults could be reclassified with obesity according to new framework

Findings of study on how illegally manufactured fentanyl enters U.S. contradict common assumptions, undermining efforts to control supply

[Press-News.org] Throwing out the textbook: Salt surprises chemists