All I Know Since Yesterday Is Everything Has Changed

     A group of scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have discovered a new atomic structure for iron oxide.This is remarkable considering that everyone accepted that atomic structure was already considerably established. Specifically experimenting with magnetite, the group of scientists led by Professor Ulrike Diebold have concluded that its structure is actually Fe₁₁O₁₆, and not Fe₃O₄ Magnetite is an effective catalyst for chemical reactions due to its ability to keep single atoms stay in place on its surface. However, no one was able to explain why it acted this way due to the lack of knowledge about Magnetite's surface. 

      Scientists couldn't explain why Magnetite behaves the it does because they have been looking at its crystal structure the wrong way. Many believed that it was due to missing oxygen atoms in the topmost atomic layer, but that affects electronic properties more than anything. Instead, the scientists at the Vienna University of Technology suggested that it was due to missing iron atoms below the outermost layer. Indeed, it's these missing iron atoms that allow other metal atoms to attach in regularly spaced spots. This then gives a good amount of space between the placed metal atoms, which prevents them from forming a nanoparticle. After proposing this the scientists used quantum simulations to show that is was physically possible and electron diffraction to show how well the crystal structure corresponds with the theoretical model. In order to confirm their experiment they had to yield an R-value between 0.1 and 0.15, which is also amazing considering no one had gotten better than a 3.0. But the group of scientists were successful and yielded an R-value of 1.125. 

      I find this extremely interesting and valuable. First, it is a contemporary example scientific discovery and improvement. It shows that there is probably still a lot to figure out, and some of the things we a learning know might be proven wrong in the future. Second, it is interesting to see what this will do with other oxides. Scientists believe that rethinking the crystal structure for iron oxides as well as oxides of cobalt, manganese, and nickel could improve applications in electronics and medicine. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141204142635.htm

Submitted by Christopher Castillo