1. Bob Curl had invited me to Rice after the conference

2. Rick Smalley

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

4. I suggested that if we replace the metal by graphite
…as the carbon atoms react I expected them to form linear carbon chains
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5. ..and so simulate the conditions which produced the carbon chain molecules in the carbon rich
Red Giant Star IRC 10216

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

7. Plasma produced by laser vapourisation of graphite

8. Jim Heath and Sean O’Brien

9. Yuan Liu

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

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

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

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

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

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