'Impossible material' is discovered by accident

Do you know when a group of scientists forgets some reacting chemical elements? Yeah, that's not very common news, right? But the fact is true and it happened in Uppsala, Sweden. This oversight resulted in the solution of a century-old chemical problem, producing a new material called Upsalite with excellent water binding properties.

We are talking about the powdered version of magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), whose production was reported by the team of researcher Maria Strømme, from Uppsala University. This new substance is already aimed at developing new products that can be managed simply, such as a humidity controller; or that serve as chemical supplements for processed products.

Impossible material

The components used to create this reaction were magnesium oxide (MgO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) which, dissolved in methanol, results in dry MgCO3 - a term that in chemistry indicates that the product is free of almost all molecules of carbon dioxide. Water.

This form has been sought for a long time, unsuccessfully so far, which is why Upsalite has been nicknamed "impossible material." This state of MgCO3 was achieved thanks to the increase in CO2 pressure, which was 3 times higher than normal atmospheric pressure. After accidentally letting the substances react for a week, scientists noticed that they turned to gel.

This gel, in turn, is formed by methanol molecules and, when heated to a temperature above 70 ° C, which is the boiling point of methanol, returns to its solid state, but turns into a rough white powder. Some analysis then found that such a white powder was actually the product scientists have been trying to develop for over 100 years.

Use

If you are still wondering what this product is useful for, know that Upsalite can act as a desiccant and absorb water better than many existing materials, and its dry form can be regenerated when heated to a temperature of 95 ° C. The product also did not prove toxic, which makes it a strong ally to moisture control.

These types of products that can absorb even the smallest particles of water - and act as chemical catalysts in some situations - have been in demand for the past 20 years, and perhaps Upsalite, which arose from a laboratory error, may come to be the best, least toxic and cheapest option.