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Buckminsterfullerene and Chemistry

January 28, 2022

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Chemistry 1 students are currently studying the differences between the different types of chemical bonds and compounds that form because of those differences. One particularly cool discovery was made in this respect as recently as 1990. Buckminsterfullerene, or buckyballs for short, are molecules made entirely of carbon atoms that are yet different from diamond or graphite (allotropes are molecules that differ structurally, but are made of exactly the same thing). The key is the geometry of these molecules, which look a lot like soccer balls. They are particularly useful in developing protective eyewear and optical sensors since they are particularly good at blocking light.

Here is a fun little article about their discovery for anyone who is interested:  discovery of buckyballs.