Projects per year
Abstract
Carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen are among the most abundant elements in the solar system, and our understanding of their interactions is fundamental to prebiotic chemistry. CH4 and N2 are the simplest archetypical molecules formed by these elements and are both markedly stable under extremes of pressure. Through a series of diamond anvil cell experiments supported by density functional theory calculations, we observe diverse compound formation and unexpected reactivity in the dense CH4-N2 system. Above 7GPa two concentration-dependent molecular compounds emerge, (CH4)5N2 and (CH4)7(N2)8, held together by weak van der Waals interactions. Strikingly, further compression at room temperature irreversibly breaks the N2 triple bond, inducing the dissociation of CH4 above 140GPa, with the nearquenched samples revealing distinct spectroscopic signatures of strong covalently bonded C-N-H networks. High temperatures vastly reduce the required pressure to promote the reactivity between CH4 and N2, with NH3 forming together with longer-chain hydrocarbons at 14GPa and 670K, further decomposing into powdered diamond when temperatures exceed 1200K. These results exemplify how pressuredriven chemistry can cause unexpected complexity in the most simple molecular precursors.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e202422710 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-7 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Angewandte Chemie - International Edition |
Early online date | 19 Feb 2025 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 Apr 2025 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- high-pressure chemistry
- raman spectroscopy
- synchrotron x-ray difraction
- molecular systems
- high-temperature chemistry
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Nitrogen under Extreme Conditions: From Fundamental Physics to Novel Functional Materials
McMahon, M. (Principal Investigator)
14/02/22 → 13/02/26
Project: Research
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Planetary Original Diagnostics at Extreme Conditions with Raman Spectroscopy
Pena Alvarez, M. (Principal Investigator)
1/02/21 → 31/01/25
Project: Research