Fullerenes
Carbon atoms arranged like a football.
A ball of carbon
Diamond and graphite are two forms of carbon. Scientists found another form in which the carbon atoms join to make a closed shape.
What shape do you think the atoms of the first one identified, C-60, make?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Fullerenes are another class of carbon allotropes; the first identified, C-60, has its carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a football.
A ball of carbon
Diamond and graphite are two forms of carbon. Scientists found another form in which the carbon atoms join to make a closed shape.
What shape do you think the atoms of the first one identified, C-60, make?
- The shape of a football
- A flat sheet like a page
- A straight line of atoms
Meet the fullerenes
Press Next step.
A third kind of carbon
The first fullerene found had 60 carbon atoms in the shape of a football. It was named after the dome designer whose dome it resembled.
Fullerenes are another class of carbon allotropes. The first one identified, C-60, has its carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a football.
Notes
Fullerenes are another class of carbon allotropes. The first one identified, C-60, has its carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a football.
Check yourself
What shape do the carbon atoms of C-60 make?
How many carbon atoms are there in a C-60 molecule?
Answer: 60
The number in the name C-60 is the number of carbon atoms.
Why were these molecules named fullerenes?
Fullerenes belong to which group?
- A football — correct. Yes!
- A flat hexagonal layer. That is the arrangement in graphite. C-60 has its atoms in the shape of a football.
- A rigid network where each atom bonds to four others. That describes diamond.
- They were found by a scientist named Fuller. The name comes from the geodesic dome designed by the US architect Buckminster Fuller, which the molecule looked like.
- They looked like a dome designed by the architect Buckminster Fuller — correct. Yes!
- They are made of fuel. The name comes from the dome designed by the architect Buckminster Fuller.
- Compounds of carbon and hydrogen. Compounds of only carbon and hydrogen are hydrocarbons. Fullerenes are forms of the element carbon itself.
- Alkenes. Alkenes are hydrocarbons with double bonds. Fullerenes are forms of the element carbon itself.
- Allotropes of carbon — correct. Yes!