Arc discharge sputtering of schungites

The schungite structure is shown to be modified in an arc discharge in an inert gas atmosphere. As a result of the direct effect of the arc discharge, some portion of the schungite material transforms locally into rhombohedral graphite. The spectral dependence of the optical transmission of the solutions of graphite soot and schungite soot in toluene is measured. X-ray diffraction patterns of the schungite soot and graphite soot contain a broad maximum at small scattering angles, which indicates the presence of fullerene molecules.