What use is an organic compound with a high melting point?
 

The other week in organic chemistry lab we produced Hexaphenylbenzene. This has an incredibly high melting point (454-456 °C) for an organic compound.

Which got me thinking -

What practical use is there for this compound? What would you use organic high-melting point compounds for, anyway? Is there any practical industrial use? It just seems odd to produce something for which there is no practical application.

If it can be used to lubricate machinery, I'd like to borrow $100,000.

Perhaps a non-brittle, non-conductive protective coating.

Ah, yes, that seems like a good idea.

Insulators in power stations.

Plastics you can cook in.

Light weight parts for internal comustion engines.

Components for militar applications that are radar invisible.

Erm...

I'm sure with a bit of though, I could come up with some more.

Daniel_ remind me again why you don't make millions coming up with innovative ideas?

I have no idea. Can you sugest it to my boss? :rolleyes:

I'm not sure myself, but I'm pretty sure my SO should know the answer to this question. He is also taking O Chem this term, and as a chemical engineer, his focus is more on the practical applications of chemistry. I'll ask him at lunch and see what he says.

Ooo, thanks Snowy! I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say!

I'm thinking it has applications in nanotechnology. Was reading up on Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene last night, which is a Hexaphenylbenzene derivative. Hexaphenylbenzene derivatives seem to form nanotubules with little prompting, and some turn into itty bitty electrical conductors when oxidized.

I'm wondering what else it has been used for. I would think that a melting point in the high 400's would be useful all over the place, but for the life of me I can't think why. Daniel_ started my mind moving though.

I was able to ask him a bit ago, and he said that there were so many possible uses, that asking him the question was like asking him what water could be used for. Not a very helpful answer, I'm sure, but what else can one expect from an engineering student when the term is winding down? :p

Hehe. Thanks for asking, Snowy! What a fun response.

Threadjack joke:

Q: Organic compound with high melting point.

A: Nuns and Nazis. (drum crash)

Don't get it? :no:

Doesn't have anything to do with the melting point, but derivatives of hexaphenylbenzene can be used for the emission layer in blue OLEDs. [1]

Nanobiotechnology!

Aha! Thanks, Nonsensical. Nifty find.

In other words, he didn't know...

Does it burn, or just melt? Sounds like the latter.

I was wondering how much energy it absorbs as it melts - and whether there is a potential use in that.

I'm guessing that it's not a big transition (energy wise). But it might be at a useful point, for something?

Gee. I just looked it up on wikipedia. It's a pretty looking structure. Like a snowflake.

Yeah, it's really pretty. Doesn't burn, just melts. Fascinating compound, really.