Perfect Symmetry by Je Baggott
In 1966, it was an amusing idea. In September 1985, it was a ball of paper and sticky tape, the result of six days of intense scientific discussion and one moment of inspiration. Five years later it was finally real: a perfectly symmetrical soccer-ball shaped molecule composed of 60 carbon atoms called buckminsterfullerene. This new molecule - one of a large family of carbon cage molecules called "fullerenes" - represents a new form of carbon in addition to diamond and graphite. Its accidental discovery has revolutionised our understanding of this most familiar of all elements. It has heralded a new chemistry, a new range of high-temperature superconductors and some marvellous new concepts in the architecture of large carbon structures. Carbon will never be the same again. In "Perfect Symmetry" , prize-winning science writer Jim Baggott tells the story of the accidental discovery of buckminsterfullerene, from its origins in the cold chemistry of interstellar clouds to the development of the fast-growing field of fullerence science. It is a story full of surprises.Jim Baggott, Freelance science writer Jim Baggott is a freelance science writer. He was a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Reading but left to work with Shell International Petroleum Company and then as an independent business consultant and trainer. His many books include Origins: The Scientific Story of Creation (OUP, 2015),
Higgs: The Invention and Discovery of the 'God Particle' (OUP, 2012), A Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments (OUP, 2011) and A Beginner's Guide to Reality (Penguin, 2005), Quantum Reality: The Quest for the Real Meaning of Quantum Mechanics -- A Game of Theories (OUP, 2020), and The Quantum
Cookbook: Mathematical Recipes for the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (OUP, 2020).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780198557890 |
| ISBN 10 | 0198557892 |
| Title | Perfect Symmetry |
| Author | Je Baggott |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 1996-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 326 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |