cluster: Quick Facts

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Figure 1: The four stable geometric structures of the seven-atom cluster of argon, in order of increasing energy: (A) A pentagonal bipyramid. (B) A regular octahedron with one face capped by the seventh atom. (C) A regular tetrahedron with three of its faces capped by other atoms. (D) A trigonal bipyramid with two of its faces capped by other atoms; although this has the highest energy of the four structures, it is very close in energy to the tricapped tetrahedron.

Figure 2: The four lowest-energy structures of the 13-atom cluster of argon.

Figure 3: The first three complete icosahedral structures of 13, 55, and 147 particles. These are the structures taken on by clusters of 13, 55, and 147 atoms of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon, for example.

Figure 4: The structure of C60, buckminsterfullerene.

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Topics

ablation magic number superatom network structure shell structure cluster compound fullerene network former network modifier matter radiation radioactivity isomerism phase temperature elasticity entropy polarity heat yield strength

Key People

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Sir Harold W. Kroto

British chemist

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Robert Curl

American chemist

Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.

Physics and Natural Law