Radical molecule could produce plastic magnets

A team of chemists has synthesized an unusual organic molecule that could lead to cheaper and lighter magnets.

Using theoretical calculations, as well as experimental data, researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles deduced the configuration of all the electrons in the molecule. Called 5-dehydro-1,3-quinodimethane, or DMX for short, the compound contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms.