Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Published Online November 29, 2002
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1079630

Perspectives

Submitted on October 22, 2002
Accepted on November 21, 2002

Diamondoid Hydrocarbons--Delving into Nature's Bounty

Alan P. Marchand 1*

1 Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: marchand{at}unt.edu.

Small diamondoids--hydrocarbon molecules with a three-dimensional structure whose carbon-carbon framework constitutes the fundamental repeating unit in the diamond lattice--were first synthesized in the 1950s. However, synthetic methods were unable to produce larger diamondoids. In his Perspective, Marchand highlights the report by Dahl, Liu, and Carlson, who have isolated such higher diamondoids from crude oil. The work should rekindle interest in these unusual materials, which may find use in pharmaceutical and nanotechnological applications.




To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)