Research

Details about Sir Harry Kroto's scientific research.

Flash photolysis diagram

Research summary

Research strategy

New molecules have been detected and studied using microwave and photoelectron spectroscopy techniques.

Learn more about the strategy.

Crystals of Buckminsterfullerene obtained by Kraetschmer and co-workers

Algonquin Park Telescope — The Algonquin Park Telescope with which Harry Kroto and colleagues discovered the long carbon chain molecules HCnN (n= 5, 7, 9).

Interstellar molecules

A model of a icosahedral carbon particle

Other molecules

Deus ex Machina

In homage to Nick Westwood, Sir Harry Kroto questions poor theory resulting in inaccurate articles.

Read Deus ex Machina.

Sir Harry Kroto's main research contributions

Main contributions

The development of the new fields of Phosphaalkene and Phosphaalkyne chemistry
The discovery by radioastronomy of the large (long) Carbon chain molecules in space
The discovery of C60 Buckminsterfullerene
Isolation, ms and nmr characterisation and chromatographic separation of C60 and C70
The isolated pentagon rule
C28 is special and a tetravalent icosahedral super atom
Quasi-icosahedral giant fullerenes
C50 predicted to be decavalent
Conjecture in 1987 that C60 analogues such as C60+ and its complexes are carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands