Re: Plasma Balls with C60

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: Jan Wagner <jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi> 


On Tue, 6 Apr 2004, Tesla list wrote:
 > Original poster: Jerry Chamkis <jchamkis-at-bga-dot-com>
 >
 > On Tuesday 06 April 2004 09:06 am, Tesla list wrote:
 >  > Original poster: "john cooper" <tesla-at-tesla-coil-dot-com>
 >  >
 >  > Hello all:
 >  >
 >  > I have located a source for C60, buckminsterfullerine, which may be just
 >  > the material to use to produce plasma balls.  But it's a lot more 
expensive
 >  > than a burning tire although that could depend on what tire you choose to
 >  > burn.  1 gram of 99.5% is around 250.00, 5 grams of same is around
 >  > 700.00.  If a few others want to split some of this I should be able to
 >  > hook us up.
 >  >
 >  > John
 >
 > Be -VERY- careful not to breathe or scatter it!!!  Google nanotechnology
 > hazards.

LOL! The only hazard is when you spill it on the carpet and totally freak
out... there goes $250, oops...

It's a simple allotrope of carbon, just about as toxic as carbon itself,
graphite, or diamond. Some russian medical site stated LD50
1000..1500g/kg, meaning you'd have to chunk down LOTS of it. (Although
toxicity hasn't been researched in much detail yet, apparently. Compounds
intentionally trapped inside the C60 sphere can be toxic, though.)

http://www2.electrochem-dot-org/cgi-bin/abs?mtg=205&abs=0583&type=pdf

btw, here are more infos for the DIY approach:
http://www.creative-science-dot-org.uk/design.html

regards,
  - Jan

--
****************************************************
  Helsinki University of Technology
  Dept. of Electrical and Communications Engineering
  http://www.hut.fi/~jwagner/ - jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi