This somewhat puzzling term stands for a special crystalline form of carbon. This chemical element-the basic component of all organic life on our planet- seems to have been investigated down to the finest details in two of its best- known forms-diamond and graphite-which differ by their physical and chemical properties. In the former atoms are "packed" in the form of spatial tetrahedrons, and in the latter-in hexagonal and rhombohedral laminated structures. Over the past few decades, however, scientists came to question the finality of these two forms of carbon; some suggested the existence of other spatial chemically stable structures of carbon atoms. Speaking in metric terms, one such structure could be an icosahedron whose geometry was originally described by Archimedes. This structure is a hollow spatial configuration which can be compared to a football with a multitude of pentahedral and hexahedral sides, or facets. Its molecule should have the chemical formula of C 6 O. And after a long search astrophysicists finally traced in the mass spectra of carbon vapor a characteristic peak which suggested the existence of a matching molecule. These, however, were but purely theoretical assumptions which could not be confirmed by any practical findings here on Earth. And it was only in 1985 that a team of American researchers, investigating carbon by what is called the atomic cluster method using laser evaporation, identified for the first time ever as C 6 O molecule with the help of timed-flight mass-spectrometer. What is more, in subsequent experiments not only C 6 O, but also C 7 O could be identified. More detailed studies of the new substance suggested the existence of a carbon molecule in the form of a closed hexagonal cell, or cage. The latter reminded the investigators of a geodesic dome with 60 apexes-a structure brainstormed by the US inventor and architect Richard Buckminster Fuller which was translated into building construction reality at the EXPO-67 in ... Читать далее