2. Jim got me some money yet again to come to the Austin conference in Easter 1984

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

4. Resonant 2-photon ionisation (R2PI) spectroscopy of SiC 2 Si C

5. Rick Smalley

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

7. Hintenberger et al

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

9. .. so simulate the conditions which produced our cyanopolyynes in the Red Giant IRC 10216 H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡NH−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N H−C≡C−C≡NH−C≡C−C≡N H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡NH−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N

10. Jim Heath and Sean O’Brien

11. Yuan Liu - Solved some software problems

12. . C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C. + 2H → Laser vapourisation of graphite in hydrogen-helium mixture H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−H

13. Yuan had solved a software problem so we could at last print out some spectra C 11 C 15 C 19 C 23 C 60 C 70

15. I wrote this on my print out

16. New improved nozzle configuration – Sean O’Brien

17. Sean O’Brien found that the C 60 signal could be 30x that of C 58

18. Finally ca 40x that of C 58 JimHeath

21. Harry Kroto 2004 H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡NH−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N H−C≡C−C≡NH−C≡C−C≡N H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡NH−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N

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

23. Plasma produced by laser vapourisation of graphite

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

26. Magnetic Pulsed Valve

28. Hole for the laser pulse

29. Nozzle Plasma Skimmer hole Mass Spectrometer

30. The very sharp edged skimmer skims the expanding pulse into a very narrow beam Supersonic Expansion into the vacuum chamber cools the clusters to very low temperatures

31. Skimmer action more slowly

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

33. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● If we replace the metal by graphite The carbon atoms should react to form carbon chains ● ● ● ● ● ● ●