buckminsterfullerene

American  

[buhk-min-ster-fool-uh-reen] / ˌbʌk mɪn stərˈfʊl əˌrin /

noun

1. the form of fullerene having sixty carbon atoms.

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buckminsterfullerene British  

/ ˌbʌkmɪnstəˈfʊləˌriːn /

noun

1. a form of carbon that contains molecules having 60 carbon atoms arranged at the vertices of a polyhedron with hexagonal and pentagonal faces. It is produced in carbon arcs and occurs naturally in small amounts in certain minerals

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buckminsterfullerene Scientific  

/ bŭk′mĭn-stər-fl′ə-rēn′ /

1. An extremely stable, ball-shaped carbon molecule whose structure looks like a geodesic dome. It is believed to occur naturally in soot, and was the first fullerene to be discovered. Also called buckyball. Chemical formula: C ₆₀.

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Etymology

Origin of buckminsterfullerene

First recorded in 1985; see origin at fullerene

Example Sentences

The coalescence of buckminsterfullerene molecules to create nested carbon nanotubes helped to improve the precision of the experiments.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2024

Even large molecules such as buckminsterfullerene — made of 60 carbon atoms — will behave in this way.

From Nature • Aug. 6, 2018

Fullerene C60 is also known as a “buckyball,” or as its full name, buckminsterfullerene, because of its similarity to the multisided architectural domes designed by American inventor R. Buckminster Fuller.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

But how much of an expert in organic chemistry do you need to be in order to appreciate the full beauty of a molecule like buckminsterfullerene?

From Scientific American • Jul. 3, 2011

The playful professor--among the honors listed on his curriculum vitae is Rice University Homecoming Queen--dubbed the molecule buckminsterfullerene because it resembled the geodesic domes of architect Buckminster Fuller.

From Time Magazine Archive