The Fullerenes: New Horizons for the Chemistry, Physics and Astrophysics of Carbon

In 1985, Buckminsterfullerene (fullerene-60) C(subscript 60) was discovered serendipitously during graphite laser vaporization experiments designed to simulate the chemistry in a red giant carbon star. The molecule was isolated for the first time in macroscopic amounts in 1990, a breakthrough which triggered an explosion of research into its chemical and physical properties. The fullerenes hold great potential for material science applications, such as semiconductors and microscopic engineering, and as new compounds for pharmaceuticals, polymers and the chemical industry. Buckminsterfullerene possesses a beauty and elegance that has excited the imaginations of laymen and scientists alike. It seems almost impossible to comprehend how the existence of the third well-characterized allotrope of carbon could have evaded discovery until virtually the end of the twentieth century. In October 1992 a Discussion Meeting of the Royal Society entitled 'A Post-Buckminsterfullerene View of the Chemistry, Physics and Astrophysics of Carbon' organized by H. W. Kroto, A. L. MacKay, G. Turner and D. R. M. Walton, was held to celebrate this exciting advance. The scientists who played key roles in the discovery and who are currently uncovering fascinating problems and the implications of this elegant molecule, presented the papers published in this book.