In chemistry, diamondoids are variants of the
carbon
Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon ma ...
cage molecule known as
adamantane
Adamantane is an organic compound with a formula C10H16 or, more descriptively, (CH)4(CH2)6. Adamantane molecules can be described as the fusion of three cyclohexane rings. The molecule is both rigid and virtually stress-free. Adamantane is the ...
(C
10H
16), the smallest unit cage structure of the
diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
crystal lattice
In geometry and crystallography, a Bravais lattice, named after , is an infinite array of discrete points generated by a set of discrete translation operations described in three dimensional space by
: \mathbf = n_1 \mathbf_1 + n_2 \mathbf_2 + n ...
. Diamondoids also known as nanodiamonds or condensed adamantanes may include one or more cages (adamantane,
diamantane,
triamantane, and higher polymantanes) as well as numerous isomeric and structural variants of adamantanes and polymantanes. These diamondoids occur naturally in
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
deposits and have been extracted and purified into large pure crystals of polymantane molecules having more than a dozen adamantane cages per molecule.
These species are of interest as molecular approximations of the
diamond cubic
The diamond cubic crystal structure is a repeating pattern of 8 atoms that certain materials may adopt as they solidify. While the first known example was diamond, other elements in group 14 also adopt this structure, including α-tin, the se ...
framework, terminated with C−H bonds. Cyclohexamantane may be thought of as a nanometer-sized diamond of approximately .
Examples
Examples include:
*
Adamantane
Adamantane is an organic compound with a formula C10H16 or, more descriptively, (CH)4(CH2)6. Adamantane molecules can be described as the fusion of three cyclohexane rings. The molecule is both rigid and virtually stress-free. Adamantane is the ...
(C
10H
16)
*
Iceane
Iceane is a saturated polycyclic hydrocarbon with formula C12H18. It has a cage-like molecular structure, whose carbon skeleton can be viewed as three fused cyclohexane rings in the boat conformation; or as two such rings in the chair conforma ...
(C
12H
18)
* BC-8 (C
14H
20)
*
Diamantane (C
14H
20) also ''diadamantane'', two face-fused cages
* Triamantane (C
18H
24), also ''triadamantane''. Diamantane has four identical faces available for anchoring a new C
4H
4 unit.
* Isotetramantane (C
22H
28). Triamantane has eight faces on to which a new C
4H
4 unit can be added resulting in four
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers.
Is ...
s. One of these isomers displays a helical twist and is therefore
prochiral. The
''P'' and ''M'' enantiomer
In chemistry, an enantiomer ( /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''; from Ancient Greek ἐνάντιος ''(enántios)'' 'opposite', and μέρος ''(méros)'' 'part') – also called optical isomer, antipode, or optical anti ...
s have been separated.
* Pentamantane has nine isomers with chemical formula C
26H
32 and one more pentamantane exists with chemical formula C
25H
30
* Cyclohexamantane (C
26H
30)
* Super-adamantane (C
30H
36)
One tetramantane isomer is the largest ever diamondoid prepared by
organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
using a keto-
carbenoid In chemistry a carbenoid is a reactive intermediate that shares reaction characteristics with a carbene. In the Simmons–Smith reaction the carbenoid intermediate is a zinc / iodine complex that takes the form of
:I-CH2-Zn-I
This complex reacts w ...
reaction to attach cyclopentane rings. Longer diamondoids have been formed from diamantane dicarboxylic acid. The first-ever isolation of a wide range of diamondoids from petroleum took place in the following steps:
a
vacuum distillation
Vacuum distillation is distillation performed under reduced pressure, which allows the purification of compounds not readily distilled at ambient pressures or simply to save time or energy. This technique separates compounds based on differences i ...
above 345 °C, the equivalent
atmospheric boiling point, then
pyrolysis
The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements '' ...
at 400 to 450 °C in order to remove all non-diamondoid compounds (diamondoids are thermodynamically very stable and will survive this pyrolysis) and then a series of
high-performance liquid chromatography
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), formerly referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography, is a technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. It relies on pumps to pa ...
separation techniques.
In one study a tetramantane compound is fitted with
thiol
In organic chemistry, a thiol (; ), or thiol derivative, is any organosulfur compound of the form , where R represents an alkyl or other organic substituent. The functional group itself is referred to as either a thiol group or a sulfhydryl gro ...
groups at the bridgehead positions. This allows their anchorage to a
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
surface and formation of
self-assembled monolayer
Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of organic molecules are molecular assemblies formed spontaneously on surfaces by adsorption and are organized into more or less large ordered domains. In some cases molecules that form the monolayer do not interact ...
s (diamond-on-gold). Additionally, functionalized diamondoids (
adamantane
Adamantane is an organic compound with a formula C10H16 or, more descriptively, (CH)4(CH2)6. Adamantane molecules can be described as the fusion of three cyclohexane rings. The molecule is both rigid and virtually stress-free. Adamantane is the ...
s) have been proposed as molecular building blocks for
self-assembled molecular crystals.
Organic chemistry of diamondoids even extends to ''pentamantane''. The medial position (base) in this molecule (the isomer
(2,3)4entamantane) is calculated to yield a more favorable
carbocation
A carbocation is an ion with a positively charged carbon atom. Among the simplest examples are the methenium , methanium and vinyl cations. Occasionally, carbocations that bear more than one positively charged carbon atom are also encount ...
than the apical position (top) and simple
bromination
In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transformation important, e.g. in the production of polymer ...
of pentamane ''1'' with
bromine
Bromine is a chemical element with the symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is the third-lightest element in group 17 of the periodic table ( halogens) and is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a simi ...
exclusively gives the medial bromo derivative ''2'' which on hydrolysis in water and
DMF forms the
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
''3''.
In contrast
nitroxylation of ''1'' with
nitric acid
Nitric acid is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but older samples tend to be yellow cast due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available ni ...
gives the apical
nitrate
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insolu ...
''4'' as an intermediate which is hydrolysed to the apical
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
''5'' due to the higher
steric demand of the active
electrophilic
In chemistry, an electrophile is a chemical species that forms bonds with nucleophiles by accepting an electron pair. Because electrophiles accept electrons, they are Lewis acids. Most electrophiles are positively charged, have an atom that carr ...
species. This alcohol can react with
thionyl bromide
Thionyl bromide is the chemical compound SOBr2. It is less stable and less widely used than its chloride analogue, thionyl chloride. It is prepared by the action of hydrogen bromide on thionyl chloride, a characteristic reaction where a stronger ac ...
to the bromide ''6'' and in a series of steps (not shown) to the corresponding
thiol
In organic chemistry, a thiol (; ), or thiol derivative, is any organosulfur compound of the form , where R represents an alkyl or other organic substituent. The functional group itself is referred to as either a thiol group or a sulfhydryl gro ...
. Pentamantane can also react with
tetrabromomethane
Tetrabromomethane, CBr4, also known as carbon tetrabromide, is a carbon bromide. Both names are acceptable under IUPAC nomenclature.
Physical properties
Tetrabromomethane has two polymorphs: crystalline II or β below 46.9 °C (320.0 ...
and
tetra-''n''-butylammonium bromide (TBABr) in a
free radical reaction to the bromide but without selectivity.
Origin and occurrence
Diamondoids are found in mature high-temperature
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
fluids (volatile oils, condensates and wet gases). These fluids can have up to a spoonful of diamondoids per US gallon (3.78 liters). A review by Mello and Moldowan in 2005 showed that although the carbon in diamonds is not biological in origin, the diamondoids found in
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
are composed of carbon from biological sources. This was determined by comparing the ratios of carbon
isotope
Isotopes are two or more types of atoms that have the same atomic number (number of protons in their nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemical element), and that differ in nucleon numbers ( mass num ...
s present.
Optical and electronic properties
The
optical absorption
In physics, absorption of electromagnetic radiation is how matter (typically electrons bound in atoms) takes up a photon's energy — and so transforms electromagnetic energy into internal energy of the absorber (for example, thermal energy). A ...
for all diamondoids lies deep in the
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...
spectral region with optical
band gap
In solid-state physics, a band gap, also called an energy gap, is an energy range in a solid where no electronic states can exist. In graphs of the electronic band structure of solids, the band gap generally refers to the energy difference ( ...
s around 6
electronvolt
In physics, an electronvolt (symbol eV, also written electron-volt and electron volt) is the measure of an amount of kinetic energy gained by a single electron accelerating from rest through an electric potential difference of one volt in vacu ...
s and higher. The spectrum of each diamondoid is found to reflect its individual size, shape and
symmetry
Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definiti ...
. Due to their well-defined size and structure diamondoids also serve as a model system for electronic structure calculations.
Many of the optoelectronic properties of diamondoids are determined by the difference in the nature of the
highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals: the former is a
bulk state, whereas the latter is a
surface state. As a result, the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is roughly independent of the size of the diamondoid.
Diamondoids have been found to exhibit a negative
electron affinity, making them potentially useful in
electron-emission devices.
Nanotechnology
* In the context of hypothetical building materials for
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal ...
components, "diamondoid" was used by
K. Eric Drexler
Kim Eric Drexler (born April 25, 1955) is an American engineer best known for studies of the potential of molecular nanotechnology (MNT), from the 1970s and 1980s. His 1991 doctoral thesis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology was revised and ...
to refer to structures that would resemble
diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
in a broad sense: strong, stiff structures containing dense, 3D networks of
covalent bond
A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between ato ...
s, formed chiefly from first- and second-
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
atoms with a
valence of three or more. Examples would include crystalline
diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
,
sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...
, and other stiff structures similar to diamond but with various atom substitutions which might include
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
,
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...
,
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic ...
,
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...
, and so forth.
*
Adamantane
Adamantane is an organic compound with a formula C10H16 or, more descriptively, (CH)4(CH2)6. Adamantane molecules can be described as the fusion of three cyclohexane rings. The molecule is both rigid and virtually stress-free. Adamantane is the ...
derivatives have been proposed as a functionalizing molecule for enhancing
electron-tunneling-based
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. T ...
technologies.
See also
* Other diamond-like compounds:
Boron nitride
Boron nitride is a thermally and chemically resistant refractory compound of boron and nitrogen with the chemical formula BN. It exists in various crystalline forms that are isoelectronic to a similarly structured carbon lattice. The hexagonal ...
*
Abiogenic petroleum origin
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Cluster and Nanocrystal Research Group, Technische Universität BerlinMolecular Diamond Technologies, Chevron TexacoElectronic and Optical Properties of Diamondoids (free download)Diamondoid Molecules: With Applications in Biomedicine, Materials Science, Nanotechnology & Petroleum ScienceDiamondoid-functionalized gold nanogaps as sensors for natural, mutated, and epigenetically modified DNA nucleotides
Carbon nanoparticles
Adamantane-like molecules