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CARBON FOOTBALL

   

  We know carbon exist in three forms namely Diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon.  The carbon is also the main constituent of the soot and charcoal also.

     Draw a line on a paper using graphite pencil.  The line is made up of several layers of carbon atom.  If one layer is extracted out, it is called graphene, a new form of carbon 

 Another avatar:  Laser was used to vaporize graphite.  Carbon clusters were formed.  One such cluster looked like soccer ball.  It is made up of 60 carbon atoms.  Hence the symbol is C60.  Here each atom bonded to three other carbon atoms in such a way that all the faces are pentagons or hexagons.  C60 shape is also called fullerens.


Some properties of the buckey ball
1. It can withstand high temperature of about 650 c.
2. It can also bear lot of pressure.
3. cylindrical fullerens are also made.  They are extremely strong and useful in engineering.
4. Fulleren tube conducts electricity with zero resistance and act like a superconductor at low temperature.

     The fulleren C60 is one big tough molecule.  It belongs to the nano-technology field.  It may be the molecule of the future. 

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