Clathrate Hydrate Structure II Puzzle

Clathrate Hydrate Structure II Puzzle

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Clathrate hydrate is a solid mixture made up of gas and water, creating a unique compound. Methane hydrate stands out as one of the most well-known clathrate hydrates, but many other gases also form this type of compound. Its crystal structure is extremely complex. In clathrate hydrates, gas molecules are trapped within cages made of water molecules. There are three primary types of cages: 12-, 14- and 16-hedra. Methane hydrate consists mainly of 12- and 14-hedral cages, while hydrogen hydrate is composed of 12- and 16-hedral cages. The unit cell of methane hydrate contains 46 water molecules and 8 methane molecules, a truly massive number. For comparison, the unit cells of face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic lattice structures typically consist of just 4 and 2 atoms respectively. The unit cell of hydrogen hydrate consists of an astonishing 136 water molecules and 24 hydrogen molecules, featuring eight 16-hedral cages and sixteen 12-hedral cages in a single unit cell. Visualizing the structure of these hydrates is extremely challenging, which is why I created this puzzle. This puzzle accurately replicates the unit cell structure of the hydrogen hydrate. In the accompanying photograph, blue and white sections correspond to 16-hedral and 12-hedral cages respectively, with hydrogen molecules located at their centers. The inner dimensions of the cubic acrylic box measure 62.5 mm in length. The "x4" designation in the STL file name indicates that four parts are required to create a single unit cell. The THING file contains all necessary copies of these parts for assembly. Enjoy exploring this puzzle!

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