Bob Curl had invited me to Rice after the conference

Rick Smalley

Rick Smalley at Rice University in Texas had developed a laser vapourisation technique to make metal clusters Aluminium

I suggested that if we replace the metal by graphite …as the carbon atoms react I expected them to form linear carbon chains ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

..and so simulate the conditions which produced the carbon chain molecules in the carbon rich Red Giant Star IRC 10216

H−C≡C−C≡N H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N Harry Kroto 2004

Plasma produced by laser vapourisation of graphite

Jim Heath and Sean O’Brien

Yuan Liu

Mass spectrum of carbon in which a species with 60 C atoms was first recognised as special

A clue for me was in the Graphis edition devoted to Expo 67

The image in Graphis of Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome seemed to consist entirely of hexagons

…but the dome had a secret …in among all the hexagons were a few pentagons which are needed for closure

I had a stardome at home in the UK …and rememberd that it had not only hexagons But it also had pentagons

When we realised it was a Football …How could we be wrong?