ERIC Number: EJ1332379
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Apr
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Design of a C[subscript 60] Structural Model Based on Transistors Linked with Plastic Tubes
Horikoshi, Ryo; Shirotani, Dai; Shioyama, Hiroshi
Journal of Chemical Education, v99 n4 p1816-1819 Apr 2022
Buckminsterfullerene (C[subscript 60]), along with diamond and graphite, appears in many chemistry textbooks as an example of an allotrope of carbon. This communication describes a hands-on activity to explore the characteristic structure of C[subscript 60] through the construction of a structural model using transistors and plastic tubes (heat-shrink and silicone). Transistors resemble sp[superscript 2] carbons when their three electrodes are spread 120° in relation to each other. The heat-shrink tube is suitable for connecting thin electrodes of transistors. By connecting 60 transistors using 90 precut plastic tubes, a C[subscript 60] model can be built that costs about 2.1 USD. This activity was carried out with nonchemistry majors using a remote lecture system. The participants enjoyed constructing their C[subscript 60] models and were challenged to estimate the diameter of an actual C[subscript 60] molecule using the models that they had built.
Descriptors: Chemistry, Science Instruction, Hands on Science, Models, Electronic Equipment, Plastics, Nonmajors, College Science
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A