Wondering about the physical properties of buckminsterfullerene? Look no further.

     The first physical property to discuss of buckminsterfullerene is the density. It has a density of 1.65 g/cm-3, and that number shows the relationship between the mass of the substance and the amount of space it takes up (volume). The second physical property is standard heat of formation, which is 9.08 k/cal/mol-1. This property has to do with enthalpy changes. The third physical property is thermal conductivity, which is 0.4W/mK. This has to do with buckyballs ability to conduct heat. Fourth, its boiling point is that it sublimes at 800K, which means it goes directly from a solid to a gas and doesn't pass through the liquid stage. Then lastly its melting point is that is sublimates at 843K (Kumar, n.d.).

     When other physical properties that couldn't be described by exact numbers were tested, these were the results. To start off, buckminsterfullerene was found to be surprisingly surface active, occupying nearly a monolayer in a study done (SAO/NASA ADS, n.d.). Proving the fact that buckyballs have strong surface tension. Electrical conductivity was found to be very high, mainly because, like graphite, it has delocalized electrons. Those electrons are free to move and carry charge (Creative Chemistry, 2014). And buckminsterfullerene was found to actually be totally insoluble in water, but soluble in many common solvents such as benzene, toluene and chloroform (Kumar, n.d.).

Figure 1 - Buckyball Magnets

     Buckyballs appear as an odourless, black solid and have a sort of metallic lustre. In figure 1 there is a photograph of what buckyballs look like in the form of magnets. There hardness was unknown, but when compressed to 70% of its initial volume, its expected to become harder than a diamond (Allotropes of Carbon, n.d.).