The Mind Unleashed What was your most noteworthy accomplishment in science class from when you were in the fifth grade?
Perhaps it might be learning the first few elements of the periodic table by heart, or being able to recognize the various kinds of clouds in the sky. Some people may recall memories from a science fair at school, or how they felt like that baking soda-powered volcano was pretty remarkable.
Not Clara Lazen.
In 2012, US Grade 5 student Clara Lazen accidentally discovered the molecule tetranitratoxycarbon. She asked her teacher, Kenneth Boehr, who asked chemist, Robert Zoellner, if it existed. It didn't.
Zoellner wrote a paper and credited Lazen and Boehr as co-authors. pic.twitter.com/zmAdsbXRwc
— CSIRO (@CSIRO) August 17, 2019
You see, Tetranitratoxycarbon—a molecule made of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon—was discovered by Clara Lazen when she was only 10 years old, which is what makes this story so fascinating and motivating…
