![]() These molecules also act as effective cytoprotectors against the ultraviolet A irradiation. Perhaps, one of the major advantages of using these molecules as an antioxidant is that these can be localized within the cell. That is why, these molecules are also known as the ‘world’s most efficient radical scavengers’ or ‘radical sponge’. A single C60 molecule can interact with up to 34 methyl radicals before being used up. Fullerenes can react with a number of radicals before being consumed. This was overcome by various techniques like encapsulation of the fullerenes with hydrophilic molecules, suspending this molecule with other solvents, and conjugating it with other hydrophilic molecules.įullerenes can make excellent antioxidants, this property can be attributed to the large number of conjugated double bonds they possess and a very high electron affinity of these molecules (due to low energy of the unoccupied molecular orbital). ![]() The greatest challenge faced by scientists in doing so was its insolubility in aqueous medium, and its tendency to form aggregates. Applications and Uses of Fullerene Medical Applications of FullereneĮxtensive research on the biomedical applications of this molecule has been underway ever since its discovery. These molecules have very high tensile strength and bounce back to their original shape after being subjected to over 3,000 atmospheric pressure! Due to the unique properties of this allotrope of carbon, it has a number of applications―a few of them have been discussed below. Although this molecule is made of conjugated carbon rings, the electrons here are not delocalized, and thus, these molecules lack the property of superaromaticity. These molecules have extremely high affinity for electrons and can be reversibly reduced to take up 6 electrons. The C-C bond length for the hexagonal rings is 1.40 A° and 1.46 A° for the pentagonal rings, with the average bond length equal to 1.44 A°.įullerenes have sp2 as well as sp3 hybridized carbon atoms. These rings are conjugated with double bonds. It is composed of 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal rings that are adjacent to each other. The C60 buckyball is made of 60 carbons at 60 vertices that make a spherical structure. This led to the subsequent discoveries of a number of other similar compounds that were known as fullerenes.ĭue its relative ease of synthesis, fullerene of C60 remains popular and a lot of research for its potential applications has been carried out. ![]() The Buckminsterfullerene is an allotrope of carbon discovered by Richard Smalley, Robert Curl, Harry Kroto et al at Rice University and Sussex University, in the year 1985, for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996. This review is intended to serve as a next step toward the development of standardized tests that can be incorporated into a regulatory framework for CNPs.The Buckminsterfullerene was the first fullerene to be discovered and was named after the American architect, Buckminster Fuller, as it resembled the geodesic dome designed by him. In this review we focus on the important elements of measuring the ecotoxicity of carbon NPs (CNPs), discuss the limitations in our current understanding of their toxicity in the ecosystem, and make recommendations for ecotoxicology testing that should help enable more rigorous interpretations of collected data and inter-laboratory comparisons. These factors include 1) the extent of NP characterization that is necessary (or possible) before, during, and after toxicity tests such that toxic effects can be related to physicochemical characteristics of NPs 2) determination of uptake and distribution of NPs within exposed organisms (does uptake occur or are effects exerted at organism surfaces) and 3) determination of the appropriate types of controls for incorporation into ecotoxicity tests with NPs. ![]() However, techniques for measuring toxicity of NPs (nanotoxicology) in ecological receptors (econanotoxicology) are in their infancy, and establishing standardized ecotoxicity tests for NPs are presently limited by a number of factors. ![]() The recent emergence of manufactured nanoparticles (NPs) as materials that can be released into the environment and lead to exposure in organisms has accelerated the need to determine their toxicity. ![]()
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