Buckminsterfullerene

Buckminsterfullerene

Buckminsterfullerene (also known as buckyballs) are one of a class of hollow, aromatic carbon compounds constructed of carbon atoms arranged in 12 pentagonal and variable numbers of hexagonal faces.

The non-metallic element carbon, atomic number 6, is a highly versatile element that can exist in many solid forms, called allotropes. Graphite, for example, is a relatively soft allotrope of pure carbon that is used in lead pencils. Diamond is another allotrope of pure carbon. Diamond, the hardest substance known, is a colorless crystalline form of solid carbon that is a famed, highly valuable, gem widely used in industry and jewelry. A third, allotrope of solid carbon is comprised of a class called fullerenes. Fullerenes are cage-like, hollow configurations of chemically bonded carbon atoms. Shaped into hollow spheres, the carbon atoms of fullerenes are arranged into alternating, conjoined hexagons and pentagons that create faceted, globular surfaces resembling soccer balls. Fullerenes containing from 32 to 600 carbon atoms have been detected.

The most stable fullerene is a sphere containing 60 carbon atoms termed Buckminsterfullerene

Buckminsterfullerene are fullerenes specifically composed of 60 carbon atoms. They are found in the soot that results from burning carbon-containing organic materials in the presence of too little oxygen. Buckminsterfullerenes or buckyballs, were first discovered in 1985 by the Nobel Prize winning scientists Richard E. Smalley, Robert F. Curl, and Harold W. Kroto. Buckminsterfullerenes were later isolated in pure form in 1990. The structure of this allotrope of carbon resembles the structure of geodesic domes and so was named after the architect who invented the domes, Buckminster Fuller. Currently, chemists are developing practical applications for the durable and highly stable buckminsterfullerenes. Potential uses include use in superconductor materials and in drug-delivery systems, where an active drug can be attached to the inert and stable buckyball for delivery to a target tissue.