C60 Buckminsterfullerene, The Celestial Sphere That Fell to Earth

Synopsis

A Royal Institution Discourse in which Harold Kroto discusses the discovery of C60 buckminsterfullerene in 1985 in an experiment designed to unravel the carbon chemistry in Red Giant stars. The elegant cage molecule in the shape of a football holds promise for new 21st-century materials. Because the molecule was discovered as a consequence of a fundamental curiosity about the role of carbon in space and stars, rather than as applied research on carbon, it serves as a warning about current limitations on fundamental research.

Series

Royal Institution Discourses, Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. VHS. col. 60 min.

Year of production

1995

Availability

Sale; 2000 sale: £25.00 (+VAT inc. p&p)

Subjects

Chemistry

Keywords

buckminsterfullerene; carbon; chemical reactions; molecules; organic chemistry

Credits

Writer

Harold Kroto

Cast

Harold Kroto

Production Company

Name

INCA

Notes

Use for: Independent Communications Associates

Sponsor

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

Vega Science Trust

Email

vega@vega.org.uk

Web

http://www.vega.org.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

01273 678 726

Address

Sussex Innovation Centre
Science Park Square
Brighton
BN1 9SB

Notes

Well-established maker and distributor of more than 200 programmes on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, many of which have been broadcast. Vega’s videos aim to give a fundamental understanding of principles of nature and the physical world. Outstanding scientists/communicators are directly involved with each video so that they can guide content of the programmes. Science is presented in a natural way as an intellectually challenging discipline and the videos fill the gap in TV coverage by presenting well-informed analyses on serious science-related ethical, economic, social, health and other issues. Separate series consist of interviews with eminent scientists, science video lectures, issues of current scientific concern, the Royal Institution Discourses, scientific masterclasses, and recent research projects. Programmes available for free viewing via the website and some also for sale on DVD.