It turned out that the buckyball, the soccer ball, was something of a Rosetta stone of an infinite new class of molecules.
Richard SmalleyRead
Carbon has this genius of making a chemically stable, two-dimensional, one-atom-thick membrane in a three-dimensional world. And that, I believe, is going to be very important in the future of chemistry and technology in general.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Carbon's unique properties allow it to form stable structures that could revolutionize chemistry and technology.
In this quote, Richard Smalley highlights the remarkable ability of carbon to form a two-dimensional, one-atom-thick membrane, which is significant in a three-dimensional world. He emphasizes the potential impact that these carbon-based structures could have on future advancements in chemistry and technology, suggesting that the study and application of carbon will be crucial for innovation.
Themes
CarbonTechnologyChemistryInnovationFuture
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on nanotechnology, this quote could be used to discuss the importance of carbon structures.
More from Richard Smalley
All quotes →Nature - how, we don't know - has technology that works in every living cell and that depends on every atom being precisely in the right spot. Enzymes are precise down to the last atom. They're molecules. You put the last atom in, and it's done. Nature does things with molecular perfection.
Richard SmalleyRead
Essentially, every technology you have ever heard of, where electrons move from here to there, has the potential to be revolutionized by the availability of molecular wires made up of carbon. Organic chemists will start building devices. Molecular electronics could become reality.
Richard SmalleyRead
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