Harold KrotoEdit
Harold W. Kroto, FRS (1939–2016) was a British chemist whose name is inked in the history of science for a transformative discovery in carbon chemistry. In 1985, Kroto, together with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley while at Rice University, demonstrated the existence of a new allotrope of carbon: a hollow, spherical molecule composed of sixty carbon atoms, later known as Buckminsterfullerene (C60). This breakthrough opened a new frontier in chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology, and it earned the three scientists the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Buckminsterfullerene family, a member of the broader class of fullerenes, has spurred decades of research into carbon-based nanostructures and their potential applications in electronics, medicine, and energy storage.
Kroto’s career extended well beyond the discovery itself. He held a long and influential tenure as a professor of chemistry at the University of Sussex, where he pursued interdisciplinary work spanning fundamental chemistry, astrochemistry, and science education. His research helped connect the chemistry of carbon in the laboratory with processes occurring in space, advancing the field of astrochemistry and enriching our understanding of how carbon-bearing molecules form and persist in the cosmos. Kroto also engaged with the broader public understanding of science, participating in discussions about science policy, education, and the role of basic research in technological progress.
Life and career
Early life and education
Kroto was born in Britain in 1939 and developed an early interest in chemistry that would shape a lifelong pursuit of understanding the behavior of carbon in its many forms. His scientific training led him to work at the intersection of spectroscopy, chemical reactions, and nanostructured materials, laying the groundwork for his later landmark discovery.
Discovery of fullerenes
The discovery of C60 emerged from an experimental program aimed at understanding carbon clusters produced under high-energy conditions. Kroto and his colleagues used a technique that involved laser vaporization of graphite in a vacuum to generate a plume of carbon clusters. Through mass spectrometric analysis, they identified a stable, highly symmetric molecule consisting of sixty carbon atoms arranged in a truncated icosahedron—a structure reminiscent of a soccer ball—and later named Buckminsterfullerene. The identification of this new carbon allotrope contributed to the broader recognition of fullerenes as a family of hollow, cage-like carbon molecules, including related species such as C70 and various functionalized derivatives. The work catalyzed rapid advances in synthetic chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology, as researchers explored the properties and potential uses of carbon in novel geometries. See also Buckminsterfullerene and Fullerenes.
Later years and legacy
After the initial breakthrough, Kroto continued to pursue research and scholarship of wide scope. He became a prominent advocate for science education and for maintaining a strong link between basic research and practical innovation. His recognition extended beyond his Nobel Prize; he was knighted in 1996 for services to chemistry, and he remained active in scientific discourse through lectures, collaborations, and mentoring. The Buckminsterfullerene discovery and Kroto’s subsequent work helped catalyze advances in areas such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, and they continue to influence modern materials science and nanotechnology.
The broader significance of fullerenes lies not only in their elegant chemistry but in the way they stimulated new modes of thought about molecular architecture. By revealing that carbon can assemble into stable, three-dimensional cages, the discovery opened pathways to novel catalysts, drug delivery systems, and electronic materials. The scientific community continues to build on Kroto’s legacy as researchers explore the chemistry of carbon in both terrestrial laboratories and extraterrestrial environments, where carbon-bearing molecules shape the chemistry of the interstellar medium.
Controversies and debates around the fullerene discovery revolved primarily around the reception of a previously unimagined form of carbon and the pace at which its significance would be recognized. Early skepticism is a normal feature of groundbreaking science, and the eventual validation through independent replication and verification helped establish fullerenes as a legitimate and fruitful area of study. The episode is often cited in discussions of how scientific communities respond to paradigm-shifting findings and how funding, collaboration, and publication culture shape the trajectory of new ideas.
See also