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1985

Discovery of Fullerenes
Society: ACSMain Category: ChemicalSub Category: Frontiers of KnowledgeEra: 1980-1989DateCreated: 1985Rice UniversityHoustonState: TXZip: 77005Country: USAWebsite: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/fullerenes.htmlCreator: Curl, Robert , Kroto, Harold

In early September 1985, a team of scientists discovered a previously unknown pure carbon molecule, C60, which they dubbed buckminsterfullerene. The name was chosen because the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller provided a clue that the molecule’s atoms might be arranged in the form of a hollow cage. The structure, a truncated icosahedron with 32 faces, 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal, has the shape of a soccer ball.

YearAdded:
2010
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Itamblyn (CC BY-SA 3.0)Image Caption: Buckminsterfullerene C60 is an example of a structure in the fullerene family.Era_date_from: 1985
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Innovations

Discovery of Fullerenes

In early September 1985, a team of scientists discovered a previously unknown pure carbon molecule, C60, which they dubbed buckminsterfullerene. The name was chosen because the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller provided a clue that the molecule’s atoms might be arranged in the form of a…

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