When I first heard about buckminsterfullerene, I thought it was a very fascinating molecule, with its interesting complex ring structure and pseudo-symmetry. I wonder though, can you get similar structures with other atoms? Maybe neighbors of similar size, like boron, nitrogen or oxygen? Or maybe silicon, one row down? What would their chemistry be like?
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1$\begingroup$ This looks kinda too broad. There are various similar molecules. $\endgroup$– MithoronOct 22, 2017 at 16:25
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7$\begingroup$ Check out en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borospherene $\endgroup$– MithoronOct 22, 2017 at 16:27
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1$\begingroup$ Simple P4O10 has a hollow, if not spherical structure. en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Inorganic_Chemistry/… $\endgroup$– DrMoishe PippikOct 22, 2017 at 21:27
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1$\begingroup$ So does $\ce{P4O6}$. Hexamethylenetetramine is isoelectronic and isostructural with $\ce{P4O6}$ apart from the outer hydrogen atoms. $\endgroup$– Oscar LanziOct 22, 2017 at 23:34
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1$\begingroup$ There are plenty heteroatomic molecular clusters with even more complex structures. Or do you want a single element assembly only? $\endgroup$– andselisk ♦Oct 23, 2017 at 2:45
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Cool question! Always stay curious!
A while ago, I had a similar question that started it's journey with silicon, being of similar bonding capability to carbon. However, over the course of my research, I realized that silicon was just too low on the periodic table (and therefore much heavier) to be so extremely stable in such a wide variety of forms such as fullerenes and long, complex hydrocarbons.
However, my search was not in vain. I stumbled upon Boron Nitride, an isoelectronic analog to carbon graphite. Many different compounds have been synthesized from boron nitride, consisting of a wide array of fullerene analogs, such as Boron Nitride Nanotubes, or BNNTs, which by themselves have plenty of applications. For example, paper products made from these nanotubes are highly flame retardant, as is shown in the image below:
The trick is that $\ce{B-N}$ has very similar properties to $\ce{C=C}$, with very little difference in molecular weight, and so many analogous compounds can be built using either monomer. However, boron nitride is different enough to have unique applications in certain areas. Cool, right?
answered Apr 7, 2020 at 21:59