Buckminsterfullerenes

Few areas of chemical research have attracted the attention of the scientific community as have the fullerenes. The interest has crossed disciplines of physics, chemistry and materials science. Buckminsterfullerene itself has been named the molecule of the year by Science (December 20 1991). This monograph brings together the work of leading investigators in this rapidly developing field. The book is organized loosely into four sections: the main events leading to the discovery and preliminary studies of the fullerenes; theoretical studies of fulleroid cages; superconductivity properties; exo- and endohedral complexes and some chemical properties of these new materials. This overview should be of interest to senior students, professional researchers and teachers in science who are interested in the potential application of this new class of materials.