Chemists find clues to the origins of iconic ‘football molecule’ in space

In the vast expanses of space between the stars, in what scientists call the “interstellar medium,” you can find a wide range of organic molecules. From honeycomblike hydrocarbons to spheres of carbon shaped like soccer balls.

In a new study, an international team of researchers, led by Jordy Bouwman from CU Boulder and including Sandra Brünken from HFML-FELIX, has used experiments on Earth to recreate the chemistry deep in space. The group’s results may have uncovered key steps in the processes that shape these organic molecules over time.

The research, published recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, sheds light on the formation of a class of molecules called fullerenes. The most famous example of this type of molecule is buckminsterfullerene, also known as the ‘football molecule’.

Read more about the discovery in this article by Daniel Strain, from the University of Colorado Boulder: Chemists find clues to the origins of buckyballs in space