eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

80 years after the Trinity nuclear test, scientists identify new molecule-trapping crystal formed in the blast

Phys · · 856 words · By Krystal Kasal

Researchers have identified a new molecule-trapping crystal, known as a clathrate, within 'red trinitite' samples from the 1945 Trinity nuclear test. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explores how extreme pressure and temperature conditions created these rare, metastable forms of matter.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-years-trinity-nuclear-scientists-molecule.html

analyticsAnalysis

0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 6
schedule Pending 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified
“The Trinity nuclear test in 1945 left behind such remnants”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm the Trinity nuclear test took place on July 16, 1945.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On the Trinity (Latin: De Trinitate) is a book written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo which discussed the Christian doctrine of Trinity in context of the Logos. Although not as well known as some of h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trinity
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Unholy Trinity is a 2024 American Western action film written by Lee Zachariah, directed by Richard Gray, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brandon Lessard, and follows a young m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unholy_Trinity
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from trinus 'threefold') is a Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three coeternal, consubstantial divine pers…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“The team describes a clathrate compound never before found among nuclear-explosion products in their new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources (The Florentine and another news report) confirm a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describes a new clathrate compound found in nuclear-explosion products.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology. In 2015 INSA has constituted a junior wing for young scie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_National_Science_Academ…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (often abbreviated PNAS or PNAS USA) is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_National_Ac…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Proceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Russian: Доклады Академии Наук СССР, Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR (DAN SSSR), French: Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de l'URSS [kɔ̃t ʁɑ̃dy də …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_USSR_Academ…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“The extreme conditions produced by the Trinity explosion... fused together particles from the site's test tower, its copper infrastructure, and large volumes of the surrounding New Mexico desert sand. The result was a glassy material, referred to as trinitite.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and the Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity, confirm trinitite is a glassy material formed from the fusion of desert sand and test site materials during the Trinity explosion.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chagan (Чага́н) was a Soviet underground nuclear test conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site on January 15, 1965.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagan_(nuclear_test)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Trinitite, also known as atomsite or Alamogordo glass, is the glassy residue left on the desert floor after the plutonium-based Trinity nuclear bomb test on July 16, 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitite
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Trinity was the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, conducted by the United States Army at 5:29 a.m. Mountain War Time (11:29:21 GMT) on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project. The test was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_(nuclear_test)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Most trinitite appear green in color, but there is another, rarer form, called "red trinitite."”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general nature of trinitite is verified, the specific claim about 'red trinitite' as a rarer form is not explicitly corroborated by the provided evidence snippets, which focus on general trinitite.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Trinitite, also known as atomsite or Alamogordo glass, [1][2] is the glassy residue left on the desert floor after the plutonium -based Trinity nuclear bomb test on July 16, 1945, near Alamogordo, New…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitite
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 16, 2026 · Trinitite is a glass-like material created when the first nuclear explosion in history melted the desert sand at the Trinity test site in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The fireball from …
https://scienceinsights.org/what-is-trinitite-the-radioactiv…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Trinitite is the name given to the soil that was fused into a glass-like consistency by the heat from the Trinity Test, the world’s first nuclear explosion that took place July 16, 1945 at Alamogordo …
https://orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/nuclear-we…
info
“Red trinitite is enriched in metals that came from the vaporized tower, coaxial cables and recording instruments at Trinity.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results for this claim are irrelevant (referring to the movie 'Red' or the color red) and do not provide information about the composition of red trinitite.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Red is a 2010 American action comedy film written by Jon and Erich Hoeber, and directed by Robert Schwentke. It is based on the comic book series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. The film stars Bruce…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_(2010_film)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometers. [1] It is a primary …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 15, 2010 · RED: Directed by Robert Schwentke. With Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker. When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops ag…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/
info
“the researchers identified a small amount of clathrate—a crystal compound consisting of a lattice that traps or contains guest molecules within cage-like structures.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are completely irrelevant (etymological databases and 301 redirects) and do not mention clathrates or trinitite.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Álgu-tietokanta. Saamen kielen etymologinen tietokanta. / Álgu-diehtovuođđu. Sámegielaid etymologalaš diehtovuođđu.
https://kaino.kotus.fi/algu/index.php?kkieli=en&t=etusivu
travel_explore
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 301 Moved Permanently 301 Moved Permanently nginx
https://www.kotus.fi/algu/index.php?t=sanue&lekseemi_id=6299…
info
“The clathrate was discovered within a copper-rich metal droplet in the trinitite.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided are dictionary definitions of the word 'identify' and do not contain factual evidence regarding clathrates in trinitite.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The police officer identified himself and asked for our help. The woman identified herself as the store manager, but declined to give her name.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ident…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — to make, represent to be, or regard or treat as the same or identical: They identified Jones with the progress of the company. to associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc. (usually fol. by wi…
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/identified
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — To ascertain as having a certain characteristic or feature: job candidates who are identified as overqualified; children who have been identified with hearing loss.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/identified
info
“The team found that the material was made up of silicon, calcium, copper and a small amount of iron (with a composition of Si85Ca12Cu2Fe1) and has a cubic type-I clathrate structure.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result mentions a 'Ca–Cu–Si type-I clathrate' in the context of the Trinity test, but the specific chemical formula Si85Ca12Cu2Fe1 is not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Inset: clathrate structure. Source: United States Geological Survey.In the less common second type found near the sediment surface, some samples have a higher proportion of longer-chain hydrocarbons (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_clathrate
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ca–Cu–Si type-I clathrate: The quasicrystal's long-lost relative. Earlier work had also found a Si-rich icosahedral quasicrystal in a copper-rich part of the red trinitite, but its origins and exact s…
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-years-trinity-nuclear-scientis…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The type II clathrate Na22Si136 is prepared by the thermal decomposition of NaSi. Thermal analysis indicates this phase is metastable yet has a relatively high decomposition temperature.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311857440_Thermoele…
help
“In this case, the cage-like structure holds a calcium atom in the center.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.
info
“Earlier work had also found a Si-rich icosahedral quasicrystal in a copper-rich part of the red trinitite”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result explicitly mentions that 'Earlier work had also found a Si-rich icosahedral quasicrystal in a copper-rich part of the red trinitite'.
schedule
“the clathrate-derived structures were only found to be stable at low copper levels of around 10–11%, not at the high copper content seen in the Trinity quasicrystal.”
PENDING
schedule
“The higher copper levels of around 21% led to structural instability, loss of clathrate topology, and amorphization.”
PENDING
schedule
“Luca Bindi et al, Extreme nonequilibrium synthesis of a Ca–Cu–Si clathrate during the Trinity nuclear test, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2604165123”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.