PRODUCTION AND DISCOVERY OF FULLERITES - NEW FORMS OF CRYSTALLINE CARBON

Small carbon grains are assumed to be the carrier of the prominent int erstellar ultra violet absorption at 217 nm. To investigate this hypot hesis, we produced small carbon particles by evaporating graphite in a n inert quenching gas atmosphere. collected the grains on substrates, and measured their optical spectra. In the course of this work - which in the decisive final phase was carried out with the help of K. Fosti ropoulos and L. D. Lamb - we showed that the smoke samples contained s ubstantial quantities of C60. The fullerene C60 (with small admixtures of C70) was successfully separated from the sooty particles and, for the first time, characterized as a solid. We suggested the name 'fulle rite' for this new form of crystalline carbon.