CHARACTERIZATION OF CARBONACEOUS SOOTS BY FIELD-IONIZATION MASS-SPECTROMETRY - IN SEARCH OF C60 AND OTHER FULLERENES

Characterization of several carbonaceous soots from pyrolysis and combustion processes by field ionization mass spectrometry shows the absence of peaks at 720 and 840 Da corresponding to C60 and C70 fullerenes. This absence coupled with the fact that these peaks are clearly seen in the soot obtained by vaporizing graphite in approximately 150 Torr of He leads to the conclusion that the commonly encountered pyrolysis and combustion soots do not contain significant (larger than 0.1%) amounts of fullerenes.