Posts Tagged ‘buckyballs’
Spitzer Telescope Finds First-Ever Buckyballs in Space
Buckyballs are so named because they resemble the geodesic domes associated with architect Buckminster Fuller (the little magnetic balls that some people keep around as a desk ornament are also a tribute to this structure). The 60-carbon-atom molecules were first created in the lab a quarter century ago and have been long since thought to exist in space, but for years they eluded researchers.
The carbon atoms in buckyballs are arranged in a three-dimensional spherical structure that gives them a soccer ball-like appearance, with the atomic bonds creating an alternating pattern of hexagons and pentagons. The structure is more than just elegant; it’s unique strength and properties have made it a sought after molecule for a range of applications including armor and superconductors.
Perhaps as impressive as the buckyballs themselves is the fact that Spitzer found them at all. They were detected in a planetary nebula called Tc 1, where an aging star had likely shed a layer of carbon rich material into a cloud. Light passing through the cloud gave off the unique spectral signatures of the buckyballs, which only made their presence known because they were at the right temperature to be seen. It’s impressive enough that Spitzer can peer out into the universe and analyze its contents down to the molecule. Looking at the right place at the right time, that’s just cosmic good fortune.
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Tiny Buckyballs Could Put Fast-Spreading Cancer Cells into Suspended Animation
But their effect in normal cells may prove toxic for the body
This is a first-time finding for buckyballs, which are nanoparticles the size of a virus and consist of 60 carbon atoms each. But experts have been warning about the possible already found in many consumer products and types of research.
Toxicologists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico exposed human skin cells to several types of buckyballs. One tris configuration of buckyballs had three molecular branches coming off the main structural body in one hemisphere, a hexa configuration had six branches arranged in a symmetrical pattern, and the last was a plain buckyball.
The cells exposed to the tris buckyballs entered the suspended animation state, which could lead to problems with normal organ development and possibly disease in a living organism. The tris configuration may also interfere with the body's normal immune response against viruses.
That lead the researchers to suggest that any nanomaterials using buckyballs should use the non-toxic hexa configuration. But they're excited about possibly turning the tris buckyballs into a weapon for halting the spread of cancer cells or delaying the onset of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's in nerve cells.
It's all some heavy stuff to consider for such small nanoparticles. You can put yourself into a cheerier state of mind with this video by artist Alyce Santoro showing how to make a large buckyball replica out of ice cream cones.