By Hochberg                                           H.C.R. No. 83

         75R6204 JTR-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, In 1985, researchers at Rice University in Houston

 1-2     discovered  a third molecular form of carbon, known as C60, and as

 1-3     a result of this breakthrough, they were awarded the 1996 Nobel

 1-4     Prize in Chemistry; the new molecule, named buckminsterfullerene,

 1-5     is the archetype of a new class of pure carbon materials that are

 1-6     expected to revolutionize many fields, including science, industry,

 1-7     medicine, and manufacturing; and

 1-8           WHEREAS, The State of Texas traditionally has recognized a

 1-9     variety of official state symbols as tangible representations of

1-10     the dynamic and diverse nature of our state, and the designation of

1-11     buckminsterfullerene as the State Molecule of Texas would also be

1-12     an appropriate expression of this tradition; drawing attention to

1-13     this momentous discovery not only pays fitting tribute to the

1-14     state's world-class scientific community, but also underscores the

1-15     importance of the aerospace, chemical, electronics, and energy

1-16     industries that have become such vital contributors to the state's

1-17     economy and that will be among the major beneficiaries of this new

1-18     technology; and

1-19           WHEREAS, Extremely stable and impervious to radiation and

1-20     chemical destruction, buckminsterfullerene molecules, nicknamed

1-21     "buckyballs," can be extended into tubular fibers 10,000 times

1-22     smaller than a human hair but 100 times stronger than steel; the

1-23     potential uses of the molecule include compact digital information

1-24     storage, the treatment of cancer and the human immunodeficiency

 2-1     (HIV) virus, the development of nonpolluting automobiles that run

 2-2     on fuel cells, other new technologies on the nanometer scale, and

 2-3     the new microtechnology known as nanoscale, based in large part on

 2-4     the development of C60; and

 2-5           WHEREAS, Rice University, the birthplace of buckyballs, is

 2-6     also home to Nobel laureates Dr. Richard Smalley and Dr. Robert

 2-7     Curl, who with their colleague, Dr. Harold Kroto of Sussex

 2-8     University, are responsible for this exciting new development in

 2-9     chemistry, and the establishment of the university's Center for

2-10     Nanoscale Science and Technology places Rice at the forefront of

2-11     this promising field internationally; and

2-12           WHEREAS, The almost unlimited potential of

2-13     buckminsterfullerene in a wide range of applications portends a

2-14     bright future for our state and its citizens and it is appropriate

2-15     that the state acknowledge this extraordinary scientific

2-16     breakthrough in a manner befitting its significance; now,

2-17     therefore, be it

2-18           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-19     hereby designate buckminsterfullerene as the official State

2-20     Molecule of Texas.