W. Kratschmer, K. Fostiropoulos, D.R. Huffman, "The infrared and ultraviolet absorption spectra of laboratory-produced carbon dust: evidence for the presence of the C60 molecule," Chemical Physics Letters, 170:167-70, 1990. W. Kratschmer, L.D. Lamb, K. Fostiropoulos, D.R. Huffman, "Solid C60: a new form of carbon," Nature, 347:354-58, 1990.
Wolfgang Kratschmer (Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg, Germany): "We stumbled over the soccer ball-shaped C60 molecule when we produced soot in order to investigate whether such dusty material occurs in interstellar space. It may be interesting to note that H.W. Kroto [University of Sussex, England] and R.E. Smalley [Rice University, Houston], the actual discoverers of this unique molecule, started their work with a very similar objective.
"Our contribution to this field is the discovery of an exceedingly simple and efficient method to produce C60 and other closed-cage carbon molecules, such as C70, in bulk quantities. The properties of solid C60 known ...
