C3.8 - Fullerenes and graphene

Question 1

Apart from diamond and graphite, there are what?

Answer 1

Apart from:
1. Diamond
2. Graphite
,there are other structures that carbon atoms can form

Question 2

Apart from diamond and graphite, there are other structures that carbon atoms can form.
What happens in these structures?

Answer 2

In these structures, the carbon atoms join together to make large hollow cages

Question 3

In these structures, the carbon atoms join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes.
When was the ability of carbon to behave like this discovered?

Answer 3

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985

Question 4

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985.
Radio astronomers had revealed what?

Answer 4

Radio astronomers had revealed that long chains of carbon atoms existed in outer space

Question 5

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985.
Radio astronomers had revealed that long chains of carbon atoms existed in outer space.
When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for these carbon chains, they created a new molecule by chance.
The molecule was made of 60 carbon atoms.
What did analysis show?

Answer 5

Analysis showed that:

1. All the carbon atoms in the new molecule were equivalent
2. There were no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule

Question 6

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985.
When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for long carbon chains that existed in outer space, they created a new molecule by chance, which was made of 60 carbon atoms.
Analysis showed that all the carbon atoms in the new molecule were equivalent.
There were no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule.
Who solved this problem?

Answer 6

Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem

Question 7

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985.
When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for long carbon chains that existed in outer space, they created a new molecule by chance, which was made of 60 carbon atoms.
Analysis showed that all the carbon atoms in the new molecule were equivalent.
There were no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule.
Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem by what?

Answer 7

Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem by suggesting a structure of:
1. Hexagons
2. Pentagons
arranged in a sphere

Question 8

When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for long carbon chains that existed in outer space, they created a new molecule by chance, which was made of 60 carbon atoms.
Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem of all the carbon atoms being equivalent and no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule.
What happened since then?

Answer 8

Since then, scientists have made many other new molecules

Question 9

When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for long carbon chains that existed in outer space, they created a new molecule by chance, which was made of 60 carbon atoms.
Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem of all the carbon atoms being equivalent and no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule.
Since then, scientists have made many other new molecules.
How can they be shaped?

Answer 9

They can be shaped like:

1. Footballs
2. Rugby balls
3. Doughnuts
4. Onions
5. Cones or tubes

Question 10

Since Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solving the problem of all the carbon atoms being equivalent and no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule, scientists have made many other new molecules.
They can be shaped like footballs (as in the spherical C60 molecules), rugby balls, doughnuts, onions (spheres within spheres) and cones or tubes (open or closed at the ends).
What is the general name for all these hollow-shaped molecules of carbon?

Answer 10

The general name for all these hollow-shaped molecules of carbon are fullerenes

Question 11

Fullerene

Answer 11

A fullerene is a form of the element carbon that can exist as large cage-like structures, based on hexagonal rings of carbon atoms

Question 12

What is the structure of fullerenes based on?

Answer 12

The structure of fullerenes is based on hexagonal rings of carbon atoms, as in graphite

Question 13

The structure of fullerenes is based on hexagonal rings of carbon atoms, as in graphite.
However, what may they also have?

Answer 13

They may also have rings of:
1. 5 (pentagonal)
Or,
2. 7 (heptagonal) carbon atoms

Question 14

What did the 1st fullerene to be discovered contain?

Answer 14

The 1st fullerene to be discovered contained 60 carbon atoms

Question 15

The 1st fullerene to be discovered contained 60 carbon atoms, but what can chemists now do?

Answer 15

The 1st fullerene to be discovered contained 60 carbon atoms, but chemists can now make giant fullerenes that contain many 1000s of carbon atoms

Question 16

Why was the name buckminsterfullerene chosen for the C60 molecule?

Answer 16

The name buckminsterfullerene was chosen for the C60 molecule after the Canadian architect Buckminster Fuller

Question 17

The name buckminsterfullerene was chosen for the C60 molecule after the Canadian architect Buckminster Fuller.
What did Buckminster Fuller do in 1967?

Answer 17

Buckminster Fuller designed a similar shaped building of the C60 molecule in Montreal in 1967

Question 18

Scientists have made many new molecules other than C60 that can be shaped like footballs (as in the spherical C60 molecules), rugby balls, doughnuts, onions (spheres within spheres) and cones or tubes (open or closed at the ends).
What can also be produced?

Answer 18

Cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes can also be produced

Question 19

Scientists have made many new molecules other than C60 that can be shaped like footballs (as in the spherical C60 molecules), rugby balls, doughnuts, onions (spheres within spheres) and cones or tubes (open or closed at the ends).
Cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes can also be produced.
What do these fullerenes form?

Answer 19

These cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes form incredibly thin cylinders

Question 20

Cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes form incredibly thin cylinders, whose length is much greater than their diameter.
What do they have?

Answer 20

These cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes have very useful properties, such as high:

1. Tensile strength
2. Electrical conductivity
3. Thermal conductivity

Question 21

One of the useful properties of cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes is high tensile strength.
What does this lead to?

Answer 21

High tensile strength leads to their use in reinforcing composite materials

Question 22

One of the useful properties of cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes is high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity.
Why do cylindrical fullerenes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity?

Answer 22

Cylindrical fullerenes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, because their bonding is like the bonding in graphite

Question 23

Some fullerenes are what than buckminsterfullerene?

Answer 23

Some fullerenes are bigger spheres than buckminsterfullerene

Question 24

Some fullerenes are bigger spheres than buckminsterfullerene.
Examples

Answer 24

For example:

1. C240
2. C540

Question 25

Some fullerenes are more what than C60?

Answer 25

Some fullerenes are more elliptical in shape than C60

Question 26

Some fullerenes are more elliptical in shape than C60. | The molecule with a ball inside a ball is nicknamed what?

Answer 26

The molecule with a ball inside a ball is nicknamed a 'bucky-onion'

Question 27

What could fullerenes be used for?

Answer 27

Fullerenes could be used for drug delivery into the body

Question 28

Fullerenes could be used for drug delivery into the body. | Example

Answer 28

For example the cage-like structures could be used as 'bucky-mules' to deliver: 1. Drugs Or, 2. Radioactive atoms to treat cancer at very specific sites within the body

Question 29

Fullerenes could be used for drug delivery into the body. | What can they also be used as?

Answer 29

Fullerenes can also be used as: 1. Lubricants 2. Catalysts

Question 30

Why can fullerenes be used as catalysts?

Answer 30

Fullerenes can be used as catalysts, because of the large surface area to volume ratio of their nanoparticles

Question 31

If you could separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, what would you get?

Answer 31

If you could separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, you would get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms

Question 32

What did scientists at Manchester University manage to do in 2004?

Answer 32

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite

Question 33

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, to get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms that were just 1 atom thick. How did they do this?

Answer 33

To do this, the scientists at Manchester University basically used a piece of sticky-tape

Question 34

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 basically used a piece of sticky-tape to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, to get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms that were just 1 atom thick. They stuck the tape across a piece of graphite, pulled it off and looked at the tape under a powerful electron microscope. What had they managed to do?

Answer 34

They had managed to isolate a 2D material, the thinnest ever made

Question 35

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 basically used a piece of sticky-tape to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, to get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms that were just 1 atom thick. They stuck the tape across a piece of graphite, pulled it off and looked at the tape under a powerful electron microscope. They had managed to isolate a 2D material, the thinnest ever made. This new 2D material, the thinnest ever made, that scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to isolate, is called what?

Answer 35

This new 2D material, the thinnest ever made, that scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to isolate, is called graphene

Question 36

Graphene is an excellent what?

Answer 36

Graphene is an excellent conductor of: 1. Thermal energy 2. Electricity

Question 37

Graphene can be laid on what?

Answer 37

Graphene can be laid on a solid support

Question 38

Where is graphene's 1st large-scale application likely to be?

Answer 38

Graphene's 1st large-scale application is likely to be in flexible electronic displays

Question 39

Apart from diamond and graphite, there are other structures that carbon atoms can form. In these structures, the carbon atoms join together to make large hollow cages, which can have what?

Answer 39

In these structures, the carbon atoms join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes

Question 40

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985. Radio astronomers had revealed that long chains of carbon atoms existed in outer space. When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for these carbon chains, they created what?

Answer 40

When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for these carbon chains, they created a new molecule by chance

Question 41

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985. Radio astronomers had revealed that long chains of carbon atoms existed in outer space. When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for these carbon chains, they created a new molecule by chance. The molecule was made of what?

Answer 41

The molecule was made of 60 carbon atoms

Question 42

The ability of carbon atoms to join together to make large hollow cages, which can have all sorts of shapes, was not discovered until 1985. When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for long carbon chains that existed in outer space, they created a new molecule by chance, which was made of 60 carbon atoms. Analysis showed that all the carbon atoms in the new molecule were equivalent. There were no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule. Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem by suggesting a structure of hexagons and pentagons arranged in a sphere, just like what?

Answer 42

Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem by suggesting a structure of: 1. Hexagons 2. Pentagons arranged in a sphere, just like the panels stitched together to make a football

Question 43

When scientists tried experiments in the lab to recreate the conditions that might account for long carbon chains that existed in outer space, they created a new molecule by chance, which was made of 60 carbon atoms. Professor Sir Harry Kroto of Sussex University solved the problem of all the carbon atoms being equivalent and no carbon atoms stuck at the ends of the molecule. Since then, scientists have made many other new molecules. They can be shaped like footballs (as in what?), rugby balls, doughnuts, onions (what?) and cones or tubes (what?)?

Answer 43

They can be shaped like: 1. Footballs (as in the spherical C60 molecules) 2. Rugby balls 3. Doughnuts 4. Onions (spheres within spheres) 5. Cones or tubes (open or closed at the ends)

Question 44

The name buckminsterfullerene was chosen for the C60 molecule after the Canadian architect Buckminster Fuller. The name is often abbreviated to what?

Answer 44

The name is often abbreviated to 'bucky-ball'

Question 45

Scientists have made many new molecules other than C60 that can be shaped like footballs (as in the spherical C60 molecules), rugby balls, doughnuts, onions (spheres within spheres) and cones or tubes (open or closed at the ends). Cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes can also be produced. These cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes form incredibly thin cylinders, whose length is what?

Answer 45

These cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes form incredibly thin cylinders, whose length is much greater than their diameter

Question 46

One of the useful properties of cylindrical fullerenes called carbon nanotubes is high tensile strength. High tensile strength leads to their use in reinforcing composite materials, such as those used in making what?

Answer 46

High tensile strength leads to their use in reinforcing composite materials, such as those used in making tennis rackets

Question 47

Cylindrical fullerenes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, because their bonding is like the bonding in graphite, giving them what?

Answer 47

Cylindrical fullerenes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, because their bonding is like the bonding in graphite, giving them delocalised electrons

Question 48

Cylindrical fullerenes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, because their bonding is like the bonding in graphite, giving them delocalised electrons, resulting in their use in what?

Answer 48

Cylindrical fullerenes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, because their bonding is like the bonding in graphite, giving them delocalised electrons, resulting in their use in the electronics industry

Question 49

If you could separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, you would get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms. It would be just what thick?

Answer 49

It would be just 1 atom thick

Question 50

Fullerenes could be used for drug delivery into the body. Fullerenes can also be used as lubricants and as catalysts. What can also be used as lubricants?

Answer 50

Graphite can also be used as lubricants

Question 51

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, to get what?

Answer 51

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, to get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms that were just 1 atom thick

Question 52

Scientists at Manchester University in 2004 managed to separate a single sheet of carbon atoms from graphite, to get a layer of inter-locking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms that were just 1 atom thick. To do this, the scientists at Manchester University basically used a piece of sticky-tape. What did they do?

Answer 52

The scientists at Manchester University: 1. Stuck the tape across a piece of graphite 2. Pulled it off 3. Looked at the tape under a powerful electron microscope

Question 53

Graphene has a very low what?

Answer 53

Graphene has a very low density

Question 54

The most reactive form of carbon

Answer 54

The most reactive form of carbon is graphene

Question 55

Pieces of graphene are what?

Answer 55

Pieces of graphene are incredibly strong for their mass

Question 56

Graphene is an excellent conductor of thermal energy and electricity, even better than what?

Answer 56

Graphene is an excellent conductor of: 1. Thermal energy 2. Electricity ,even better than graphite

Question 57

Graphene can be laid on a solid support and could one day be used to make what?

Answer 57

Graphene can be laid on a solid support and could one day be used to make: 1. Quicker 2. More powerful computer chips

Question 58

Graphene's 1st large-scale application is likely to be in flexible electronic displays . Imagine what?

Answer 58

Imagine watching a film on your coat sleeve