Bucky up
...ientists believe that they were formed in space by red giant stars in the absence of any diatomic molecules such as 02,F2,Cl2,N2,etc. This is consistent with the laboratory synthesis of C60 which involves the vaporization of graphite by a lazer in the presence of helium which draws the vaporized carbon into a mass spectrometer where the sample is bombarded by electrons producing buckyballs. Buckministerfullerene does not occur naturally on Earth because of these reactive diatomic molecules which retard the growth of C60’s complex structure. The article discussed a possible and new method to determine geologic events connected to meteor and comet impacts. It also strengthens a theory that involves terrestrial gasses originating in space. Another piece of evidence that supports formation in space is the presence of unearthly isotopes of helium which consist of three subatomic particles instead of four subatomic particles. These reactive helium atoms are trapped in buckyballs inert structure and are commonly found in meteors and impact craters formed by them. Some scientists like Luann Becker, a geochemist from the University of Hawaii think that buckyballs m...