Fullerenes in Meteorites and the Nature of Planetary Atmospheres

We address the hypothesis that fullerenes are an important carrier phase for noble gases in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Unlike other proposed carbon carriers, nanodiamond, SiC, graphite and phase Q, fullerenes are extractable in an organic solvent. It is this unique property, in fact, this may be why fullerene molecules or fullerene-related compounds were overlooked as a carrier phase of noble gases in meteorites. To further evaluate how fullerenes trap noble gases within their closed-cage structure, we compared the natural meteorite fullerenes to synthetic “Graphitic Smokes” soot. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy used to directly image the fullerene extracted residues clearly showed that C₆₀ and higher fullerenes, predominantly C > 100, are indeed the carrier phase of the noble gases measured in the Tagish Lake, Murchison and Allende carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, and synthetic “Graphitic Smokes” material. The implication for the role of fullerenes, which trap noble gases condensed in the atmosphere of carbon-rich stars, is that the true nature of terrestrial planetary atmospheres is presolar in origin. Fullerene, like other carbon carriers, were then transported to the solar nebula, accreted into carbonaceous chondrites and delivered to the terrestrial planets.