Cubane (C8H8) is a synthetic hydrocarbon molecule that consists of 8 carbon atoms arranged at the corners of a cube, with one hydrogen atom attached to each carbon molecule. Cubane is a solid crystalline substance. The cubane molecule was synthesized in 1964 by Dr. Philip Eaton, a professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago. Before its synthesis, researchers believed that cubic molecules could only exist in theory. It was believed that cubane would be impossible to synthesize because the unusually sharp 90-degree bonding angle of the carbon atoms would be too highly strained and hence unstable.
Cubane and its derivative compounds have many important properties. The 90-degree bonding angle of the carbon atoms in cubane means that the bonds are highly strained. Therefore cubane compounds store a great deal of energy in these bonds, which makes them very useful for high-density, high-energy fuels and explosives.
Researchers are looking into using cubane and similarly synthesized cubic molecules in medicine and nanotechnology.
