Harry Kroto

Harry Kroto (1939–2016) was a British chemist who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering buckminsterfullerene, a spherical carbon molecule.

Robert Curl: Robert Curl was an American chemist who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering buckminsterfullerene. Curl’s laboratory at Rice University hosted the experiments Kroto joined to identify C₆₀.
Buckminsterfullerene: Buckminsterfullerene is a molecule of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a truncated icosahedral cage. Kroto and colleagues identified this unusually stable carbon cluster in 1985.
Carbon stars: Carbon stars are evolved stars whose atmospheres contain more carbon than oxygen. Kroto sought to understand carbon-chain molecules detected in the envelopes of carbon-rich stars.
Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology involves understanding and manipulating matter at dimensions typically measured in nanometers. Fullerenes became a prominent nanoscale material and helped broaden interest in molecular nanostructures.
Richard Smalley: Richard Smalley was an American chemist who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering buckminsterfullerene. Smalley developed the laser-vaporization apparatus used in the discovery.
Fullerene: A fullerene is a carbon molecule whose atoms form a closed cage, tube, or related curved structure. Kroto’s discovery established a new family of cage-shaped carbon molecules.
Interstellar molecule: An interstellar molecule is a chemical species detected in the gas and dust between stars. Kroto’s earlier spectroscopy studied molecules found in space, motivating his search for carbon-chain formation.
Carbon nanotube: A carbon nanotube is a cylindrical structure of carbon atoms bonded in a hexagonal network. The fullerene discovery helped establish the wider family of curved carbon nanostructures that includes nanotubes.
David Walton: David Walton is a British chemist who collaborated with Harry Kroto on carbon-chain molecules. Walton’s work on carbon chains helped lead Kroto to investigate carbon-rich stars.
Laser ablation: Laser ablation removes material from a target by irradiating it with intense laser pulses. The Rice team vaporized graphite with a laser to create carbon clusters.

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