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Comment by namelost | Hacker News Reader

This article isn't what I was expecting, but to satisfy my curiosity, the strongest known base is (according to Wikipedia) Ortho-diethynylbenzene dianion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortho-diethynylbenzene_dianion

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/basically-record-breakin...

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Wow, thanks this is exactly what I expecting in the comments here! I was expecting it to have some cool application but according to wikipedia there are no known uses for it yet.

Well, when your materials basically react viciously and dangerously every time you move them, it's hard to see what application they could have.

Edit: nevermind, I'm too drowsy for HN right now.

Was this in the articles??? No nitro groups on the molecule and benzene is extremely stable due to its resonance. Where did you get this info?? Just curious.

It won't exactly explode, but it will strip a proton off of pretty much anything. It is undoubtedly reactive with water, pretty much any 'interesting' organic compound, and probably even methane. The thing is so sensitive (being a superbase it by definition has a massive propensity for stealing protons) they had to make it in the gas phase by pelting it with negative ions/electrons at high energy.

So there is no use/will be no direct use because A. It is so reactive that it can't be in contact with pretty much anything else w/o reacting and B. there is no way to make it in any meaningful quanity - even micrograms would be exceedingly difficult. There might be some interesting theoretical/computational implications, but that's not my field of expertise. (and it seems to be claimed by pretty much every paper regardless)

Yeah, I was hoping for a "Things I Won't Work With" post.

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