Bob Curl had invited me to Rice after the conference

Rick Smalley

Rick Smalley at Rice University in Texas had developed a laser vapourisation technique to make metal clusters

Aluminium

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If we replace the metal by graphite

The carbon atoms should react to form carbon chains

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.. so simulate the conditions which produced our cyanopolyynes in the Red Giant IRC 10216

H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N

H−C≡C−C≡N

H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N

Magnetic Pulsed Valve

Hole for the laser pulse

Graphite

Laser

Helium

Laser pulse creates a

10,000o carbon plasma

NozzlePlasma

Skimmer hole

Mass Spectrometer

The very sharp edged skimmer skims the expanding pulse into a very narrow beam

Supersonic Expansion into the vacuum chamber cools the clusters to very low temperatures

Skimmer action more slowly

Resonant 2-photon ionisation (R2PI) spectroscopy of SiC2

Si

C C

Graphite

Laser

Helium

Laser pulse creates a

10,000o carbon plasma

Jim got me some money yet again to come to the Austin conference in Easter 1984

Magnetic Pulsed Valve

Bob Curl invited me to visit him at Rice University in Houston at Easter 1984 after a

conference in Austin

Si=N−H N≡Si−H

Harry Kroto 2004

H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N

H−C≡C−C≡N

H−C≡C−C≡C−C≡C−C≡N