Electron crystallographic analysis of sublimed C-70 buckminsterfullerene

The solid state structure of the C-70 buckminsterfullerene, crystallized from the vapor phase, was determined quantitatively at room temperature from electron diffraction intensity data and high-resolution electron microscope images. The molecules pack in space group Fm3m with a = 14.76 +/- 0.11 Angstrom and are, therefore, randomly rotated around the molecular centers. Despite this rotational disorder, the molecular packing is much more regular than in the form crystallized from solvent, which had been demonstrated previously to be highly susceptible to shear forces.