The Chemical Physics of Fullerenes 10 (and 5) Years Later : The Far-reaching Impact of the Discovery of C60

This volume contains the Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "The Chemical Physics of Fullerenes 10 (and 5) Years Later", which was included in the program of the Enrico Fermi School and held in Varenna, Italy, on June 12-16, 1995.

The occasion of the workshop was the lOth birthday of Coo, discovered in molecular beams in the summer of 1985, and the quasi simultaneous 5th anniversary of the synthesis of solid Coo.

The motivation, however, was not the celebration of such events, rather the need for a realistic diagnosis of the current situation of fullerene research.

The best solution for a constructive discussion was to gather in one place the protagonists of the fullerene adventure from the early discoveries to the present.

The NATO Science Committee and the Italian Physical Society have made it possible through their generous financial support and organizational aid, which I wish to acknowledge with special gratitude.

Buckminsterfullerene Coo has driven a line of research which, especially after the 1990 discovery, had been considered extremely promising both from the chemistry and material science viewpoints.

In spite of this, very recently the funding and support have strongly decreased.

Several hopes have been frustrated, and especially that of solid state physicists who hoped to come up with fullerene-based high-Tc superconductors.