> In fact, HeH+ is the strongest known acid, with a proton affinity of 177.8 kJ/mol, or a pKa of −63
Long time I didn't do chemistry but that pKa made me jump off of my chair.
For comparison hydrochloric acid is ~10.
Since it's a charged molecule one could maybe contain it in an EM field to have some ready-to-use "eat anything" material.
Almost - but not quite - as scary as FOOF:
> Dioxygen difluoride reacts vigorously with nearly every chemical it encounters (including ordinary ice) leading to its onomatopoeic nickname FOOF (a play on its chemical structure and its explosive tendencies)
"vigorously" being quite an understatement.
LAsteNERD•2d ago
rcxdude•5h ago
terminalbraid•5h ago
pytness•5h ago
They created the molecule under space conditions:
"The experiment was carried out at the Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR) at the MPIK in Heidelberg — a globally unique instrument for investigating molecular and atomic reactions under space-like conditions [...] They found that, contrary to earlier predictions, the rate at which this reaction proceeds does not slow down with decreasing temperature [...] Since the concentrations of molecules such as HeH⁺ and molecular hydrogen (H2 or HD) played an important role in the formation of the first stars, this result brings us closer to solving the mystery of their formation."
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_hydride_ion#Interstella...
HeliumHydride•5h ago
throwanem•2h ago