Fullerenes from camphor: A natural source

Fullerenes are prepared from a natural source, camphor, for the first time. The films are deposited on a Si substrate, by a vacuum evaporation technique from the toluene extract of ether insoluble camphor soot. A fast atomic bombardment mass spectrum shows the presence of ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ along with other members of the fullerene family. Crystalline fullerene thin films grown on a Si wafer have been investigated by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction measurements have identified that the crystals of ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ have the hexagonal close packed structure. SEM pictures reveal the surface distribution of spherical ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ clusters.