Tricarbon
Encyclopedia
Tricarbon or C3 is a small carbon
cluster first spectroscopically
observed in the beginning 20th century in the tail of a comet by William Huggins
and subsequently identified in stellar atmosphere
s. Tricarbon can be found in interstellar space and can be produced in the laboratory by a process called laser ablation
. Small carbon clusters like tricarbon and dicarbon are regarded as soot precursors and are implicated in the formation of certain industrial diamond
s and in the formation of fullerene
s. The ground state molecular geometry
of tricarbon has been identified as linear via its characteristic symmetric and antisymmetric stretching and bending vibrational modes and bears bond length
s of 129 to 130 picometer corresponding to those of alkene
s. The ionization potential
is determined experimentally at 11 to 13.5 electron volt. In contrast to the linear tricarbon molecule the C3+ cation is bent.
C3 has also been identified as a transient species in various combustion
reactions.
The generation of C3 was investigated by Professor Emeritus Philip S. Skell
of Pennsylvania State University
in the 1960s.
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
cluster first spectroscopically
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
observed in the beginning 20th century in the tail of a comet by William Huggins
William Huggins
Sir William Huggins, OM, KCB, FRS was an English amateur astronomer best known for his pioneering work in astronomical spectroscopy.-Biography:...
and subsequently identified in stellar atmosphere
Stellar atmosphere
The stellar atmosphere is the outer region of the volume of a star, lying above the stellar core, radiation zone and convection zone. It is divided into several regions of distinct character:...
s. Tricarbon can be found in interstellar space and can be produced in the laboratory by a process called laser ablation
Laser ablation
Laser ablation is the process of removing material from a solid surface by irradiating it with a laser beam. At low laser flux, the material is heated by the absorbed laser energy and evaporates or sublimates. At high laser flux, the material is typically converted to a plasma...
. Small carbon clusters like tricarbon and dicarbon are regarded as soot precursors and are implicated in the formation of certain industrial diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s and in the formation of fullerene
Fullerene
A fullerene is any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are also called buckyballs, and they resemble the balls used in association football. Cylindrical ones are called carbon nanotubes or buckytubes...
s. The ground state molecular geometry
Molecular geometry
Molecular geometry or molecular structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It determines several properties of a substance including its reactivity, polarity, phase of matter, color, magnetism, and biological activity.- Molecular geometry determination...
of tricarbon has been identified as linear via its characteristic symmetric and antisymmetric stretching and bending vibrational modes and bears bond length
Bond length
- Explanation :Bond length is related to bond order, when more electrons participate in bond formation the bond will get shorter. Bond length is also inversely related to bond strength and the bond dissociation energy, as a stronger bond will be shorter...
s of 129 to 130 picometer corresponding to those of alkene
Alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene, olefin, or olefine is an unsaturated chemical compound containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double bond...
s. The ionization potential
Ionization potential
The ionization energy of a chemical species, i.e. an atom or molecule, is the energy required to remove an electron from the species to a practically infinite distance. Large atoms or molecules have a low ionization energy, while small molecules tend to have higher ionization energies.The property...
is determined experimentally at 11 to 13.5 electron volt. In contrast to the linear tricarbon molecule the C3+ cation is bent.
C3 has also been identified as a transient species in various combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
reactions.
The generation of C3 was investigated by Professor Emeritus Philip S. Skell
Philip Skell
Philip S. Skell was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jacob and Molly Lipfriend Skell. He married Margo Fosse on December 25, 1948, in Taft....
of Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in the 1960s.