Harold Kroto

Sir Harold Walter Kroto KBE FRS (born October 7, 1939) is an English chemist.

Subsequent work

In the 1970s he launched a research program at Sussex to look for carbon chains in interstellar space. Earlier studies had detected the molecule cyanoacetylene, H-C=C-C=N. Kroto's group searched for spectral evidence of longer similar molecules such as cyanobutadiyne, H-C=C-C=C-C=N and cyanohexatriyne, H-C=C-C=C-C=C-C=N, and found them in 1975-1978. Trying to explain them led to the discovery of the C60 molecule. (See buckminsterfullerene.) He heard of laser spectroscopy work being done by Richard Smalley and Robert Curl at Rice University in Texas. He suggested that they should use the Rice apparatus to simulate the carbon chemistry that occurs in the atmosphere of a carbon star. The experiment carried out in September 1985 not only proved that carbon stars could produce the chains but revealed an amazing, serendipitous result - the totally unexpected existence of the C60 species. The three scientists carried out the work with graduate students Jim Heath (now a full Professor at Cal. Tech.), Sean O'Brien (now at Texas Instruments), and Yuan Liu (now at Oak Ridge). The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was shared by Curl, Kroto and Smalley in 1996.

Related Topics:
1970s - Carbon - Interstellar space - Cyanoacetylene - Cyanobutadiyne - Cyanohexatriyne - 1975 - 1978 - Buckminsterfullerene - Laser - Spectroscopy - Richard Smalley - Robert Curl - Rice University - Texas - Graduate student - Nobel Prize in Chemistry - 1996

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In 1995 he set up the Vega Science Trust (www.vega.org.uk) to create high quality science films for TV and Internet Broadcast. Vega has produced some 80 programmes of which 50 have been broadcast on BBC TV in the late-night slots. Viewing figures vary from 600,000 to 300,000.

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He presently carries out research in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

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