To take the clean energy revolution to the next level, we might need to start breaking the laws of chemistry.
Scientists may have made a significant breakthrough in their pursuit of achieving infinite energy. As per a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers are delving deeper into azulene, a molecule that emits blue light and appears to defy the fundamental principles of photochemistry.
The goal is to comprehend how azulene and similar molecules extract and convert energy through fluorescence. This understanding could pave the way for the development of more efficient molecules that can effectively transform sunlight into usable electricity. This, in turn, would promote cleaner energy generation.
Solar cells have already seen major improvements throughout their history. According to BGR, the initial solar cell in 1883 could transform less than one percent of solar photons into usable electricity.
Today, we possess solar cells that can convert nearly 50 percent of solar photons into electricity. We even have solar panels that can generate electricity in darkness. However, we have still not yet reached the point of attaining infinite energy.
Some researchers are hopeful that unraveling the mystery behind azulene will provide valuable insights. Azulene defies Kasha’s rule, a law of chemistry that explains the emission of light by molecules in different states.
According to Academic Accelerator, Kasha’s rule states that “photon emission…can only occur in appreciable yield from the lowest excited state of a particular multiplicity.”
Tomáš Slanina, the leader author of the study, explained that the behavior of azulene in different excited states relies on its aromaticity and antiaromaticity.
Aromaticity can be seen as an internal stabilization of the molecule. When the molecule is aromatic, it’s stable and content. However, in its antiaromatic state, it strives to escape its condition.
In its ground state, azulene remains stable, but becomes unstable (antiaromatic) in its first excited state. It only begins emitting photons in its second level excited state. This intriguing finding has the potential to guide researchers towards a major breakthrough in the quest for endless energy.
However, the exact implications of this limitless energy are yet to be fully understood. At the moment, we at least have a starting point to explore further.
Image Source: Safrole, https://shorturl.at/bEV19
