A molecule is a single particle so how can a single molecule spread across the surface of a planet? A molecule is a combination of atoms, e.g., one molecule of water combines two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Thus, if a water molecule were able to combine with more atoms, i.e., if, instead of forming a second molecule, the extra atoms were to be incorporated into the first molecule, not H20 + H20 but H402, then the single molecule would be able to grow indefinitely by absorbing more atoms.
I dropped science early at school. In connection with this blog post, it occurred to me to google the largest molecule.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I find the idea of a single molecule covering an entire planet very intriguing. And we can trust Anderson to develop that idea in an at least speculatively plausible way.
Current books: SILVERLOCK, by John Myers Myers and A WORLD OUT OF TIME, by Larry Niven.
Books to be read: BEOWULF, trans. by Seamus Heaney and SIR NIGEL, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
So I already have a lot on my reading plate! (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
"the extra atoms were to be incorporated into the first molecule, not H20 + H20 but H402, then the single molecule would be able to grow indefinitely by absorbing more atoms"
That can and does happen with carbon compounds.
For a simple example take ethylene
H2C=CH2
The = signifying a double bond between the 2 carbon atoms.
Now take many ethylene molecules and open up one of the double bonds in each and combine them to make a long chain of carbon atoms linked to each other with 2 hydrogen atoms linked to each carbon atom.
H H H H H H H
-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-
H H H H H H H
polyethylene, one of the more common plastics.
Note the limitation of typing mean I can't show the angles between the links between carbon-carbon bonds and the 3 dimensional twisting of the long molecule.
Further note that carbon can link in a 3 dimensional lattice, so a diamond is one molecule large enough to see.
Kaor, Jim!
So a single molecule might cover an entire planet?
Merry Christmas! Sean
I would give a definite maybe.
I could see two molecules of the same type starting from different points and when their growth meets, they are misaligned so they cannot join up to become one molecule.
Kaor, Jim!
To me this is very astonishing. But there might be planets elsewhere in the universe covered by a single molecule.
Merry Christmas! Sean
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