INTERSTITIAL QUASIATOMS: ATOMS (AND MOLECULES) WITHOUT NUCLEI?

摘要

Introductory chemistry courses often begin by teaching the basic principle that atoms are the foundation of the chemical world. Atomic nuclei contain protons and neutrons, and electrons in the shells or orbitals interact with other atoms. This basic rule is now expanded by Mao-Sheng Miao and Roald Hoffmann. The team describes interstitial quasiatoms, which lack nuclei and core electrons, yet show all the chemical features of standard atoms (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b00242).