The Third Form of Carbon

Publisher Summary It is now clear that the old story about the two forms of carbon requires a rather major update; by now, everyone knows that there are three known forms of pure carbon. The new/third form of carbon is actually more of a new class of forms than a single entity. Unlike graphite and diamond, which are infinite periodic network solids, this third form of carbon is molecular. While there are an infinite number of possible variations, all members of this new molecular class share one property; they are hollow, geodesic spheroids. As a class, they have been named the fullerenes after the name of Richard Buckminster Fuller. Unlike all previously known aromatic molecules, buckminsterfullerene or buckyball as they were nicknamed, did not involve hydrogen or any other element. The newly discovered molecule is just C 60 , a pure, spherical form of carbon. This chapter provides an overview of this form of carbon and bulk production of it. It discusses the properties of the new form of carbon.