Cubane

/ˈkjuːbeɪn/ noun

Definition

A synthetic hydrocarbon with a molecular structure shaped exactly like a cube, with eight carbon atoms at the corners connected by chemical bonds.

Etymology

From 'cube' combined with the chemistry suffix '-ane' (indicating a saturated hydrocarbon). This molecule was first synthesized in 1964 by Philip Eaton.

Kelly Says

Cubane is one of chemistry's most beautiful creations—it's a molecule shaped like a perfect cube that defies nature because carbon atoms almost never arrange this way in nature, yet chemists can build it in the lab, and it's actually quite stable!

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