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Why is buckminsterfullerene also called a buckyball?
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fullerene
Two fullerene structures: an elongated carbon nanotube and a spherical buckminsterfullerene, or “buckyball.”
Buckminsterfullerene is called a "buckyball" as a tribute to the American architect R. Buckminster Fuller.1
The name was chosen because the molecule's structure—a hollow, spherical cage composed of 60 carbon atoms—is based on the same geometric principles as the geodesic dome, a structure for which Fuller is famous. The molecule's design, which features 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces, also bears a striking resemblance to a football (soccer ball).21