Buckyball

Naming

Buckminsterfullerene (C60) is named after Richard Buckminster Fuller, an architectural model maker noted that popularized the geodesic dome. Since buckminsterfullerenes have the same form with some sort of dome, the name that it deems appropriate. As the discovery of Fullerene family came after buckminsterfullerene, a short name ‘Fullerene’ is used to refer to the family of fullerenes. The suffix “ene” indicates that each C atom covalently bonded to three other people (not a maximum of four), a classic situation will be in accordance with the existence of bonds involving two electron pairs (“double bonds”).

Polymers are chains of carbon compounds that bind with hydrogen and other elements. In addition to the polymer, there are many natural and man-made carbon compounds. Nearly 90 percent of compounds that exist in nature is composed of carbon atoms (C), including compounds that is very important for living things namely DNA and proteins. Therefore, carbon is a chemical element that is interesting to learn.

Effects such as ball

Before 1985, scientists knew only two forms of pure carbon structure of diamond and graphite. Both are wholly material composed of only carbon atoms. Each carbon atom in the diamond material, tied with four other carbon atoms form a tetrahedron pattern. These structures cause the diamond is very hard.

While in graphite, carbon atoms form a hexagonal layer of carbon-bound. Each layer hexagonal weakly bound with other hexagonal layer. This structure causes such as graphite is soft and oily. Structures like this also explains why graphite can be left in pencil on paper so that it can be used to write.

Besides diamond and graphite,

in 1985 found a new structure of pure carbon in nature. This invention is answering questions in the beginning of the paragraph. New molecular structures called buckyball has a soccer ball-like pattern that consists of 20 hexagon (hexagonal) and 12 pentagon (segilima). The molecular structure is brought Smalley, Kroto, and Curl to the podium Prize in 1996.

This molecule consists of 60 carbon atoms with the chemical symbol C60. Meanwhile, a buckyball is taken from the name of an architect, R. Buckminster Fuller, who designed the dome of the new molecules with similar structures such as exhibition held in Montreal in 1967. Carbon molecules with structures similar to a soccer ball is also called by the name buckminsterfullerene or fullerenes.

The new molecule also has an effect like a ball, it can bounce and spin. Buckyball can rotate 100 million times per second. This molecule can be bounced if diempas to a hard surface such as steel. Then when squeezed or pressed, the molecule will return like the original form, like a rubber ball. And if compressed up to 70 percent of its original size, buckyball becomes harder than diamond doubled.

Curl, Kroto, and Smalley get these molecules at high temperature conditions and in a helium atmosphere. However, they only get a few products buckyball. In fact, it needs huge amounts to studying the nature and potential of these molecules in the future. Until the year 1990 discovered buckyball synthesis method produces a considerable amount using the plasma method. This method was discovered by scientists from the German and American.

When Smalley and his colleagues synthesize the buckyball or fullerenes, are not only found in C60 compounds. C60 is found in large quantities in bulk. Other structures found in the composition is less C70, C540, and other fullerenes containing hundreds of carbon atoms. In the synthesis method buckyball by American and German scientists, produced 75 percent C60, 23 percent of C70 ‘and the remainder is larger carbon molecules. Since then, scientists have generally studied as compared with C60 buckyball buckyball a number of other more carbon atoms.

After the buckyball can be produced with large enough quantities, both Smalley and other scientists began to engineer, researching, and studying the properties of this unique molecule. One of the uniqueness is the empty space within the structure of the buckyball sphere. The researchers tried to fill it up with other atoms or ions to change the nature or the study bonding that occurs within the ball.

Anti-HIV reproduction

Meanwhile, other scientists are trying to add an active compound in the buckyball surface. It turned out that this carbon molecule provides an attractive properties. Pure Buckyball should act as an insulator or insulating materials, but through research, the buckyball can act as a conductor, even as compound superconductors K3C60. If the potassium ions contained in the compound are added too much, superkonduktornya properties will be lost. While the study led by Pierre-Marc allemand at the University of California, buckyball has ferromagnetic properties.

Another study conducted by Smalley is trying to make a battery using the framework to wrap buckyball lithium and fluorine atoms. Other scientists tried to add the atoms outside the framework of buckyball, so we get fuzzyball C60H60 molecule. These compounds are more slippery than Teflon. Buckyball framework also studied for health purposes. Scientists try to add an atom or ion or a radioactive molecule that can kill cancer cells in the body specifically. Meanwhile, chemical and pharmaceutical scientists in Santa Barbara and San Francisco to learn kemunginan that the buckyball can prevent HIV reproduction.

Various possibilities such as making plastics from the buckyball, carbon buckyball change into diamond at room temperature, as well as learn buckytube fiber or fiber-called nano-carbon (carbon nanotubes) have been carried out by researchers.

Carbon nanotubes

Nanotubes are cylindrical fullerenes. These tubes of carbon are usually only a few nanometres wide, but they can range from less than a micrometer to several millimeters in length. They often have closed ends, but can be open-ended as well. There are also cases in which the tube reduces in diameter before closing off. Their unique molecular structure results in extraordinary macroscopic properties, including high tensile strength, high electrical conductivity, high ductility, high heat conductivity, and relative chemical inactivity (as it is cylindrical and “planar” — that is, it has no “exposed” atoms that can be easily displaced). One proposed use of carbon nanotubes is in paper batteries, developed in 2007 by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Another proposed use in the field of space technologies and science fiction is to produce high-tensile carbon cables required by a space elevator.

Source:

en.wikipedia.org

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