Question

The oldest synthetic examples of these structures have been found in red trinitite, a mineral that formed from the Trinity test. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name these structures whose discovery in an aluminum–manganese alloy won Dan Schechtman a Nobel in Chemistry. These structures can fill space but lack translational symmetry, since they are ordered but aperiodic.
ANSWER: quasicrystals [or quasiperiodic crystals]
[10m] In 2009, the first naturally-occurring quasicrystal, which is named for having this symmetry, was discovered in a Russian meteorite. This crystallographically forbidden symmetry is exhibited by buckminsterfullerene.
ANSWER: icosahedral symmetry [or icosahedrite; or the symmetry of an icosahedron; or I-sub-h]
[10e] In 2022, Bindi et al. discovered another naturally-occurring quasicrystal that forms when this phenomenon interacts with eolian dunes. Fulgurite forms when these electrostatic discharges fuse sand into a glass.
ANSWER: lightning strikes
<Other Science>

Back to bonuses

Summary

Data

Michigan State AClaremont A001010
Texas AIowa A1001020
Rice AIowa B001010
SorbonneUW A001010
Texas A&M AAppalachian State001010
UBC ATexas A&M B1001020