Magnet makeover.A new family of magnets may be a first step toward organic versions of the familiar metal objects, researchers say. Fabricating metal magnets requires high temperatures, notes Robin G. Hicks Hicks , Edward 1780-1849. American painter of primitive works, notably The Peaceable Kingdom, of which nearly 100 versions exist. , a chemist (jargon) chemist - (Cambridge) Someone who wastes computer time on number crunching when you'd far rather the computer were working out anagrams of your name or printing Snoopy calendars or running life patterns. May or may not refer to someone who actually studies chemistry. at the University of Victoria in British Columbia British Columbia, province (2001 pop. 3,907,738), 366,255 sq mi (948,600 sq km), including 6,976 sq mi (18,068 sq km) of water surface, W Canada. Geography . With organic substitutes, it may be possible to mix up magnets in a room-temperature solution and easily mold them into films or other shapes that could find new uses, he says. Hicks and his colleagues describe in the Jan. 18 Nature three metal-organic magnets. To create them, the researchers mixed a nickel-containing chemical into solutions of organic compounds. They then stirred each mixture for several hours at room temperature, exposing the mixtures to air only during the last half of the process. After this two-stage chemical reaction, the researchers filtered out dark, powdery pow·der·y adj. 1. Composed of or similar to powder. 2. Dusted or covered with or as if with powder. 3. Easily made into powder; friable. Adj. 1. solids combining the organic materials with nickel nickel, metallic chemical element; symbol Ni; at. no. 28; at. wt. 58.69; m.p. about 1,453°C;; b.p. about 2,732°C;; sp. gr. 8.902 at 25°C;; valence 0, +1, +2, +3, or +4. and oxygen. Team members held magnets to the sides of the flasks as a first test of success or failure. "It's easy to tell if you've made a magnet," says Hicks. Further tests revealed that the organic substances remained magnetic at temperatures up to 200[degrees]C and suggested that they could be easily demagnetized, a valuable trait trait (trat) 1. any genetically determined characteristic; also, the condition prevailing in the heterozygous state of a recessive disorder, as the sickle cell trait. 2. a distinctive behavior pattern. in some applications. The researchers are now determining the chemical structure of the molecules that they created. This first group of organic magnets is not moldable, but the team expects that trait to be attainable. "Using organic chemistry to control the structure of the organic molecules in turn provides a handle for controlling the structure and the properties of the magnet you make," Hicks says.--A.C. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion