10-year-old discovers molecule that could be used for energy storage

Science is a field fraught with complexity.

Like a maze, science can be filled with dead ends that make it difficult for researchers to find the answers to some of the world’s most mysterious problems. Though science is, indeed, complicated, breakthroughs are sometimes in the places where they are least expected. In Missouri, 10-year-old Clara Lazen has proven this to be true. She discovered a molecule that scientists never though existed. The molecule can, potentially, store massive amounts of energy, or release this energy to cause explosions.

Lazen discovered the molecule, called tetranitratoxycarbon, during a chemistry lesson in school.

Lazen was not alone in her efforts, of course, as her teacher, Kenneth Boehr, lended her a helping hand. Boehr contacted Robert Zoellner, a professor of chemistry at the Humboldt State University in California, regarding the discovery. Together, the three wrote and published their findings in the Computational and Theoretical Chemistry journal.

If the molecule can be stabilized by a chemist, it could store large amounts of energy.

This could be a major boon for the alternative energy industry, where efficient storage has long been an issue. The molecule can also be used in high-grade explosives. Currently, Lazen has interest in selling the discovery to the U.S. military. Whether it will be used for energy storage, explosives or both remains a mystery. Given the military’s recent penchant for alternative energy, all options seem likely.