This grant from the Organic Dynamics Program supports the research of Professor Shevlin under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) Program. The results of this research will give new understanding to the mechanism of formation of the recently discovered C60 allotrope of carbon, which possesses a geodesic (Buckminster Fuller) structure. In addition, reaction of C60 will be studied. There is intense interest in the formation, reactions, and properties of this allotrope of carbon (graphite and diamond are examples of other allotropes of carbon). It is thought that atomic carbon forms small reactive fragments, which then undergo further reactions to eventually produce C60. This hypothesis will be tested in experiments designed to trap the smaller fragment precursors to C60. Abstractable hydrogen will be added to the helium bath gas as the trapping reagent, with the expectation that the size of carbon clusters which are trapped will be directly proportional to bath gas pressure and inversely proportional to the amount of trapping reagent. In addition, the reactions of some reactive intermediates (carbenes and benzyne) with C60 will be studied. Reaction of chromium hexacarbonyl with C60 will also be explored.
