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Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules?

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 936 words · By Robin Macaluso
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What to know about Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules?

The article explains the concept of atomic and molecular packing to a young audience, using examples like the transformation of graphite into diamond. It describes how scientists use heat and pressure in laboratories to create synthetic materials with specific properties.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 18
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages.

Why it matters

If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Common ground

Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules?

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

The article explains the concept of atomic and molecular packing to a young audience, using examples like the transformation of graphite into diamond. It describes how scientists use heat and pressure in laboratories to create synthetic materials with specific properties.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/can-we-remove-or-decrease-spaces-between-atoms-or-mo…

analyticsAnalysis

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

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “In solids, such as a rock or a metal spoon, atoms are generally more closely packed.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Brainly.com and other educational snippets) confirm that atoms in solids are more closely packed and denser than in gases or liquids.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Liquid State: In this state, the atoms are less closely packed than in solids but more so than in gases. The intermolecular forces are strong enough to keep the particles in contact but weak enough to…
https://testbook.com/question-answer/in-what-state-are-atoms…
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web search NEUTRAL — In solids, the closely packed arrangement of atoms or molecules results in a relatively high mass within a confined space, leading to greater density.Solids are generally more dense than gases, liquid…
https://brainly.com/question/1172767
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web search NEUTRAL — In solids, such as a rock or a metal spoon, atoms are generally more closely packed. And in liquids, distances between atoms tend to fall somewhere in between. It’s impossible to completely remove all…
https://theconversation.com/can-we-remove-or-decrease-spaces…
schedule
Claim 2: “Since the 1950s, scientists have learned how to recreate it in the lab to synthesize diamonds.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 3: “diamonds one of the hardest materials in the world.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
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Claim 4: “When squeezed with extreme pressure while it’s heated up, graphite transforms into a diamond.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that graphite transforms into diamond under conditions of extreme heat and pressure.
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web search NEUTRAL — When graphite is under extreme heats and pressure long period time graphite turns into which minerals? Under extreme heat and pressure over long periods of time, graphite can transform into diamond.
https://www.answers.com/chemistry/When_graphite_is_subjected…
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web search NEUTRAL — graphite to cubic diamond in a laser heating diamond anvil cell. Since this method does not use any catalyst, therefore very high. temperatures (B3000 K) and high pressures are needed to reduce the ki…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305366311_Diamond_H…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Just as pressure can transform graphite into a diamond, leadership challenges can serve as a crucible for personal and collective growth. Embrace these pressures, use them as catalysts, and witness ch…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leadership-under-pressure-tra…
schedule
Claim 5: “Deep inside the Earth, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) down, this process happens naturally”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “squeezing and heating a sample of gold caused it to form chemical bonds with hydrogen in the atmosphere.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 7: “To turn graphite into diamond, you need a temperature of 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius) and massive pressure.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided Wikipedia results discuss temperature and unit conversion generally, but do not provide the specific temperature (1,000°C) or pressure requirements for converting graphite to diamond.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a collection of temperature conversion formulas and comparisons among eight different temperature scales, several of which have long been obsolete. Temperatures on scales that either do not sh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_scales_of_temper…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Conversion of units is the conversion of the unit of measurement in which a quantity is expressed, typically through a multiplicative conversion factor that changes the unit without changing the quant…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_units
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Fahrenheit scale () is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several acc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit
schedule
Claim 8: “a team of chemists working with iron atoms in a mineral called jarosite, found in the mountains of Utah and New Mexico, could control its magnetic properties by cooling or heating it”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 9: “carbon, one of Earth’s most common elements and an important component of all living organisms.”
VERIFIED
Britannica and Wikipedia confirm carbon is widely distributed in nature and essential for organic compounds/living organisms.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In most stable compounds of carbon (and nearly all stable organic compounds), carbon obeys the octet rule and is tetravalent, meaning that a carbon atom forms a total of four covalent bonds (which may…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon
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web search NEUTRAL — The journal Carbon is an international multidisciplinary forum for communicating scientific advances in the field of carbon-based materials, including low-dimensional carbon-based nanostructures.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/carbon
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 10, 2026 · carbon (C), nonmetallic chemical element in Group 14 (IVa) of the periodic table. Although widely distributed in nature, carbon is not particularly plentiful—it makes up only about 0.02…
https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-chemical-element
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Claim 10: “In gases, such as air, atoms and molecules are separated from each other by lots of space.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Brainly.in and general scientific descriptions, confirm that atoms and molecules in gases are much more spread out than in other states of matter.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Examples of molecules with polar bonds include water, hydrogen fluoride...
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-polar-bond-and-examp…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The atoms and molecules in gases are muchmore spread out than in solids or liquids. They vibrate and move freely at high speeds. A gas will fill any container, but if the container is not sealed, the …
https://brainly.in/question/38430546
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This is the outermost layer of the atmosphere. It extends from about 375 miles (600 km) to 6,200 miles (10,000 km) above the earth. In this layer, atoms and molecules escape into space and satellites …
https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmosphere/layers-of-atmosphe…
schedule
Claim 11: “cubic boron nitride... becomes what scientists call a superhard material, second in hardness to diamond.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “Squeezing and heating boron nitride transforms the arrangement of its atoms from 2D hexagonal sheets into 3D cubic boron nitride.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 13: “The carbon atoms in graphite form flat, six-sided – or hexagonal – sheets stacked loosely on top of each other.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Britannica and specialized guides on graphite structure, confirm that carbon atoms in graphite form hexagonal sheets stacked loosely.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The carbon atoms in graphite form flat, six-sided – or hexagonal – sheets stacked loosely on top of each other. When you write, the force of your hand slides these layers apart, leaving a trail of bla…
https://theconversation.com/can-we-remove-or-decrease-spaces…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In graphite, carbon atoms arrange in widely spaced horizontal sheets of hexagonal rings, crystallizing in the hexagonal system. The carbon-carbon bond distance within each layer is 1.42 × 10^-8 cm. Gr…
https://www.britannica.com/science/graphite-carbon
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web search NEUTRAL — Atomic Energy arrangements. The graphite carbon atoms are arranged according to a specific law, forming hexagons in the plane and stacking layers in space. This arrangement determines the crystal stru…
https://jinsuncarbon.com/az/graphite-structure/
info
Claim 14: “At room temperature and everyday air pressure, carbon exists as graphite”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results for this claim were entirely irrelevant, returning information about a movie and novel titled 'Room' rather than the chemical properties of carbon.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Room is a 2015 survival psychological drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel. It stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_(2015_film)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Room: Directed by Lenny Abrahamson. With Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson. A little boy is held captive in a room with his mother since his birth, so he has never known the wo…
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt3170832/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The film adaptation, also titled Room, was released in October 2015, starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. The film was a critical and commercial success; it received four nominations at the 88th A…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_(novel)
schedule
Claim 15: “companies that make cosmetics often use a substance called boron nitride because at room temperature and pressure it has a soft texture”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 16: “In liquids, distances between atoms tend to fall somewhere in between.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While scientifically accepted, the provided search results for this specific claim were mostly irrelevant (Google Maps/Distance calculators), except for one source that explicitly mirrors the claim's phrasing. No other independent corroborating evidence was provided in the search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
https://maps.google.com/maps/dir/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Distance calculator helps in calculating mileage and distance between two cities, places, locations, points, zipcodes, coordinates, or addresses on map.
https://www.distancecalculator.us/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Click Calculate Distance, and the tool will place a marker at each of the two addresses on the map along with a line between them. The distance between them will appear just above the map in both mile…
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distance_from_to.php
info
Claim 17: “the pressure rearranges the atoms from flat sheets into three-dimensional shapes called tetrahedra.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one provided source explicitly mentions the rearrangement from flat sheets into three-dimensional shapes/tetrahedra in the context of the graphite-to-diamond transition. Other sources discuss crystal structures generally but not this specific transition mechanism.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Diamond is a solid form of pure carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal. Solid carbon comes in different forms known as allotropes depending on the type of chemical bond. The two most common allot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The carbon atoms in graphite form flat, six-sided – or hexagonal – sheets stacked loosely on top of each other.The ingredients didn’t change – it’s still just carbon – but the pressure rearranges the …
https://www.uta.edu/news/news-releases/2026/08/03/can-we-rem…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Orderly Crystalline Structure: The atoms within minerals are arranged orderly and result in regularly shaped units that geologists call crystals. This internal structure is what gives minerals their c…
https://www.samtheology.com/articles/science/geology/physica…
schedule
Claim 18: “the 2025 discovery of the first gold-hydrogen compound.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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.