What is this bucky-thing?

Carbon, in its elemental form, comes in three common "flavors", or allotropes . . .

Graphite uses rows of hexagon-arranged layers of carbon atoms-it is found in several products including pencils, steel reinforcement, and several other structural applications. So much for a bunch of carbon. Graphite is cheap and strong.

Diamonds are also forms of carbon, with an extremely strong structure-strong enough to scratch the hardest of rocks.

But there is also a third stable allotrope, of carbon: the buckyball. Known formally as buckminsterfullerene, it is an interesting arrangement of 60 carbon atoms into almost a sphere. It typically has 32 faces, including 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, which connect to form a shape with 60 vertices (see pictures at left).

The shape of the buckyball is highly symmetrical, and the hexagons and pentagons fit in a stunningly great rotational symmetry. Buckyballs are also chemically stable and physically strong.

Bucky's Fascinating History

In 1985, molecules of carbon atoms shaped in closed "cages" were first discovered, mostly as a by-product of chemical experiments.

Carbon-60, the most common of these structures and also the most stable, was first detected by Harry Kroto and Richard Smalley. Kroto proposed to name their discovery buckminsterfullerene, after Buckminster Fuller, the original architect and designer of similar structures called geodesic domes.

There was much debate over this proposed name, since it did not follow the nomenclature system of other chemical compounds. After much defending on Kroto's part, buckminsterfullerene became accepted as the standard name of the molecule, since the proper name would be much too awkward to use. Affectionately, they became known as "buckyballs."

Help! What are they doing on Earth?

Although they might seem very strange and unlikely to form, buckyballs can be produced under certain conditions.

Meteorites may frequently contain buckyballs, since the vacuum of space may be an ideal location for their formation. Buckyballs in meteorites may also contain trapped inert gases such as helium. Buckyballs and similar molecules have also often been produced in laboratories.

Bucky at work

The physical structure of a buckyball can be utilized in several places.

First, and perhaps the most common use of a buckyball is in sports. Most soccer balls use precisely the same structure in their design, because it is easy to manufacture and systematically assemble a sphere-like shape from pentagons and hexagons.

Similar structures can be used in the inner structures of dome- and sphere-like buildings, such as the Epcot center, in Florida (which uses an array of triangles rather than hexagons and pentagons).

Buckyballs were also discovered in recent research to be a potential human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) inhibitor. They may help in the fight against AIDS by restricting the action of protease, an enzyme required for the virus to reproduce.

Fullerenes such as buckyballs are also being researched for several other uses, including propellants, superconductors, lubricants, and optical equipment (so the buckyball doesn't just sit there-it actually has work to do!). In fact, the Science magazine even elected the buckyball "molecule of the year" in 1991.

So the next time you play a game of soccer, do an assignment, or just happen to meet a Carbon-60 molecule one day, just remember this wonderful molecule and its potential for the future.

Make a Buckyball!

Who said things had to be flat? You can build a buckyball yourself out of paper, index cards, or any other sturdy material. Here's how:

• Cut out 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. ALL side lengths of all shapes should be the same.
• Attach them by the edges.
• It will probably be easier if you start with a pentagon and attach 5 hexagons around it.
• No pentagons should ever touch each other.
• Fit pentagons after every complete "layer" of hexagons.
• The three-dimensional shape will naturally arise if it is done correctly. The last piece is the hardest to fit in!
• If you're stuck or have trouble visualizing it, grab a soccer ball and try to copy it!