Real "Shungite," "C-60" Buckminsterfullerene 20.3 gram slab from Classic Location: Karelia, Russia

New!

"C-60" Buckminsterfullerene

Dimensions: About 1 3/8" W X 2"H X 3/8"D, Only 1 Left!

For generations diamond and graphite were considered to be the only pure forms of carbon. In 1985, a group of discoverers found a third form, C60, and dubbed it appropriately -- buckminsterfullerene, because this unusual molecule was composed of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a hollow sphere. The molecule's appearance bore a phenomenal resemblance to the architect Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes (also the common soccer ball!)

The commercial application of this new form of carbon is currently being explored by industrial laboratories and corporations around the world.

About the Sample and Location: This is the first natural example of carbon in the "Bucky Ball" configuration of C-60 carbon atoms. It is called "shungite" - which is the Russian name for this type of graphite. It came from the Shunga River, in Karelia, Russia. Shungite is a rare Precambrian carbonaceous rock. This black rock contains small veins of stacked spheres that are precisely buckminsterfullerene in their configuration.

Further laboratory analysis has also discovered the presence of C-60 in fulgerites - lightning-fused sand.

Sample comes in a display perky case with an information sheet and authenticity.