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Reviews (16)
Apr 23, 2018
Excellent model kit for NaCl and 3 allotropes of carbon
The photo of the model kit shows the 4 main structures that can be constructed: sodium chloride (NaCl), and the 3 allotropes of carbon (diamond, graphite, buckminsterfullerene). The cubic structure of NaCl with 6-coordination of each ion cannot be constructed by other organic chemistry model kits. There are also enough carbon atoms to make large models of the allotropes. The diamond structure uses tetrahedral atomic bonds, which can also be used for hydrocarbon backbones (e.g. the chair and boat conformations of cyclohexane). The graphite structure can be made of flat sheets of carbon atoms with bond angles of 120 degrees, the sheets themselves held together by weaker van der Waals forces represented by slightly longer bond lengths. The carbon atoms with 120 degree bond angles can also be used to make benzene rings, naphthalene, etc. The C60 buckeyball uses carbon atoms with 3 bond angles smaller than 120 degrees; if you make 12 regular pentagons, they can be joined together to make the soccer ball. The kit would have been more useful if divalent oxygen atoms were made of red plastic, and hydrogen of white plastic, with trivalent nitrogen of blue plastic, to be consistent with other model kits. Just a suggestion to the manufacturers for future versions.
Jun 15, 2016
Low heat to remove dew from Celestron telescope corrector plate
This 12V hair dryer puts out a low heat with gentle fan, of possible use in removing dew from Celestron telescope front corrector plate.
Apr 29, 2023
Classic album on CD
Classic album on CD (good quality sound, no ticks or clicks, unlikely to wear out after repeated listenings).