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; fullerene

Example Sentences

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

From Science Daily

The chemists named the molecules buckminsterfullerenes after the architect Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic domes.

From New York Times

Figure 1 | Evidence of a mechanism for the formation of buckminsterfullerene in space.

From Nature

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

From Nature

The scientists agreed to name the molecule buckminsterfullerene, or fullerene.

From Washington Post