When they join, the surrender a tremendous amount of energy. If they are cold enough, they won't join, so NASA is experimenting with methods to separate carbon or boron molecules into atoms, then trap them in hydrogen ice pellets. The ice, in turn, would float in liquid helium. C ole said this slushlike mix is unstable, and requires several years of work before test engines could be built. The Shuttle Main Engine produces 455 seconds.
Benzene burns quite well because it's built around rings of six carbon atoms.
Taking three carbon atoms out produces bicyclopropylidene that has even greater potential energy. Calif. The Lightcraft would rise on a series of hot air pulses produced by a high-energy laser. The laser beam would be focused just aft of the Lightcraft and superheat the air, which expands, pushing the craft upward. Slots in the craft's skirt push more air into the now-empty region and another pulse of light pushes the craft a little farther. Hoisted by a series of air bursts, a 15 cm-diameter test model of the Lightcraft rises in a hangar at White Sands Missile Range.