Packet 7: Bonus 7
Answer the following about astrochemical discoveries supporting the theory of abiogenesis, for 10 points each.
[10e] An abundant class of polycyclic hydrocarbons with this property is hypothesized to be a source of carbon for early life. Cyclic molecules with 4n plus 2 pi electrons have this property.
ANSWER: aromaticity [accept polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or polyaromatic hydrocarbons]
[10m] The first polyatomic organic compound to be identified in the ISM was this molecule, thought to be the main precursor of amino acids. This is the simplest molecule that can be disproportionated in the Cannizzaro reaction.
ANSWER: formaldehyde [accept CH2O or methanal or formalin]
[10h] McGuire and Carroll’s discovery of this compound in 2016 made it the first chiral molecule found in space. Hydrogen peroxide generates this molecule in a process catalyzed by titanium silicate for polyurethane production.
ANSWER: propylene oxide [or propene oxide or epoxypropane] (The process is the HPPO process.)
<Editors, Chemistry> | P. Playoffs 7 (Editors 7)
| Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 12.08 | 100% | 21% | 0% |
Conversion
| Team | Opponent | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Total | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | MIT | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Bruin | Johns Hopkins | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Chicago B | Brown | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Columbia A | Indiana | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Columbia B | Rutgers | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Georgia Tech A | Virginia | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Georgia Tech B | Michigan | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Maryland A | UC Berkeley B | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 | EM |
| Maryland B | Illinois B | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Minnesota | Georgia Tech C | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| NYU A | Stanford A | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| NYU B | Stanford B | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| North Carolina | Georgetown | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Northwestern B | Cornell | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Penn State | Ohio State | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Pittsburgh | Vanderbilt | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Swarthmore | Purdue | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Toronto A | Northwestern A | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 | EM |
| Toronto B | Illinois A | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 | EM |
| UC Berkeley A | Chicago A | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| UCLA | Texas | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Virginia Tech | Harvard | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 | EM |
| WashU | Cambridge | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | E |
| Waterloo | UCF | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 | EM |
Summary
| Tournament | Edition | Match | Heard | PPB | E % | M % | H % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Site | 2026-04-17 | ✓ | 24 | 12.08 | 100% | 21% | 0% |