Preparation of buckminsterfullerene, C60

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0025-5408(91)90094-3

It has been demonstrated that there is a whole range of related closed-cage molecules of carbon called fullerenes, of which C₆₀, buckminsterfullerene, is the dominant species. A recently described technique for preparing macroscopic quantities of C₆₀ and C₇₀, generally in admixture, has generated intense activity in the investigation of the structure and properties of this new breed of carbon molecules. In order to investigate various properties of C₆₀, the authors have designed a generator which under certain operating conditions has yielded solely C₆₀. In this paper the authors describe the C₆₀ generator fabricated by them along with the preparative conditions and a characterization of the product.