Question

List a few of the physical properties of buckyball

Answer 1

Buckyball or buckminster fullerene is the third allotrope of carbon. It contains 60 carbons which are arranged in the five and six membered rings. Buckyball is the cluster of carbon atoms which are arranged in spherical shape and it forms a hollow cage.

The physical properties are:

Buckyball is made up of huge number of molecules but giant covalent bond is not exist.

The forces between the individual buckyballs are weak intermolecular forces.

The substances which are made up of buckyballs has low melting point in comparison to other allotropes of carbon as low energy is required to overcome theses intermolecular forces.

The substances which are made up of buckyballs is slippery in nature.

The solutions of buckminster fullerene are deep purple in color and upon evaporation brown residue is obtained.

Buckyball is soft in comparison to graphite and when it is compressed to less than 70 percent of its volume then, it converts into superhard form of diamond.