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Boston College Chemistry Professor is First to Synthesize "Buckybowls," Offering Many Possible Uses
CHESTNUT HILL, MA (10-31-97) -- Buckyballs, the soccer ball-shaped molecules touted as revolutionary when they were discovered over a decade ago, may not have lived up to their promise yet, but Boston College Chemistry Professor Larry Scott is hoping to change that by creating pieces of them in his laboratory. Scott was the first scientist to sythesize large fragments of buckyballs, dubbed "buckybowls," and has found they exhibit properties that hold vast potential. Buckyballs are made entirely of carbon atoms linked with unusual chemical bonds. The only practical application thus far is the computer industry's use of another relative, the buckytube, as an atomic-scale probe. Scott's molecules, some as large as 60 percent of a buckyball, are not carved from the balls, but are sythesized from scratch. "They have the same curvature as the ball," said Scott. "We believe they have as much or more potential in the long run as buckyballs or buckytubes." Perhaps the buckybowl's most intriguing property is its electron-holding capability, Scott said. "The buckybowl has the ability to take up electrons and give them back up later, under the right conditions, in higher concentrations than buckyballs." Scott believes that may facilitate the invention of plastic batteries. They would be lighter, smaller and more environmentally friendly than the rechargeable batteries now used to power cellular telephones and laptop computers, and thus would allow for further miniaturization of portable electronic devices. The molecule's shape may also allow it to bond with other molecules and since it fits over the buckyball much like a contact lens, it may be able to serve as a medium that links other substances to the balls. Buckybowls were discovered by accident in 1985 and no one understood the step-by-step chemical transformation that took place until Scott developed his method for making buckybowls. He is the first scientist to use a rational process to create such molecules. Scott is working to create larger bowls with this method and hopes to be able to synthesize an entire buckyball within a few years.
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