CAER Seminars

A Chemists' Journey from Light Into Darkness

Speaker:
Professor Mark Meier
Dept. of Chemistry
University of KY
CAER Visiting Scientist

Date:
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 3:00 pm
Ben Bandy Conference Center
UK Center for Applied Energy Research

Abstract:
Fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are materials in which carbon atoms are not able to form 'normal' bond angles. The resulting strain, amounting to over 400 kcal/mole in C60¬, brings about a level of reactivity that is not common in other aromatic compounds. Typically, aromatic compounds are reactive at their edges, yet fullerenes and nanotubes have no such edges. How do strained aromatics react if they have no place to do so?

In this seminar, I will present an overview of our research into the hydrogenation of fullerenes and into the reactivity of these compounds. Parallels between fullerene chemistry and nanotube chemistry will be discussed.