Buckyball (molecule)

Buckminsterfullerene

Names
IUPAC name (C60-Ih)[5,6]fullerene
Other names Buckyball; Fullerene-C60; [60]fullerene
Identifiers
CAS Number	99685-96-8 Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
Beilstein Reference	5901022
ChEBI	CHEBI:33128 Y
ChemSpider	110185 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.156.884
PubChem	123591
InChI InChI=1S/C60/c1-2-5-6-3(1)8-12-10-4(1)9-11-7(2)17-21-13(5)23-24-14(6)22-18(8)28-20(12)30-26-16(10)15(9)25-29-19(11)27(17)37-41-31(21)33(23)43-44-34(24)32(22)42-38(28)48-40(30)46-36(26)35(25)45-39(29)47(37)55-49(41)51(43)57-52(44)50(42)56(48)59-54(46)53(45)58(55)60(57)59 Y Key: XMWRBQBLMFGWIX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/C60/c1-2-5-6-3(1)8-12-10-4(1)9-11-7(2)17-21-13(5)23-24-14(6)22-18(8)28-20(12)30-26-16(10)15(9)25-29-19(11)27(17)37-41-31(21)33(23)43-44-34(24)32(22)42-38(28)48-40(30)46-36(26)35(25)45-39(29)47(37)55-49(41)51(43)57-52(44)50(42)56(48)59-54(46)53(45)58(55)60(57)59 Key: XMWRBQBLMFGWIX-UHFFFAOYAU InChI=1S/C60/c1-2-5-6-3(1)8-12-10-4(1)9-11-7(2)17-21-13(5)23-24-14(6)22-18(8)28-20(12)30-26-16(10)15(9)25-29-19(11)27(17)37-41-31(21)33(23)43-44-34(24)32(22)42-38(28)48-40(30)46-36(26)35(25)45-39(29)47(37)55-49(41)51(43)57-52(44)50(42)56(48)59-54(46)53(45)58(55)60(57)59 Key: XMWRBQBLMFGWIX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES c12c3c4c5c1c6c7c8c2c9c1c3c2c3c4c4c%10c5c5c6c6c7c7c%11c8c9c8c9c1c2c1c2c3c4c3c4c%10c5c5c6c6c7c7c%11c8c8c9c1c1c2c3c2c4c5c6c3c7c8c1c23
Properties
Chemical formula	C60
Molar mass	720.66 g·mol−1
Appearance	Dark needle-like crystals
Density	1.65 g/cm3
Melting point	sublimates at ~ 600 °C (1,112 °F; 873 K)
Solubility in water	insoluble in water
Structure
Crystal structure	Face-centered cubic, cF1924
Space group	Fm3m, No. 225
Lattice constant	a = 1.4154 nm
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Y  (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Buckminsterfullerene (or bucky-ball) is a spherical fullerene molecule with the formula C₆₀. It has a cage-like fused-ring structure (truncated icosahedron) which resembles a football (soccer ball), made of twenty hexagons and twelve pentagons, with a carbon atom at each vertex of each polygon and a bond along each polygon edge.

It was first generated in 1985 by Harold Kroto, James R. Heath, Sean O'Brien, Robert Curl, and Richard Smalley at Rice University. Kroto, Curl and Smalley were awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their roles in the discovery of buckminsterfullerene and the related class of molecules, the fullerenes. The name is a reference to Buckminster Fuller, as C₆₀ resembles his trademark geodesic domes. Buckminsterfullerene is the most common naturally occurring fullerene molecule, as it can be found in small quantities in soot. Solid and gaseous forms of the molecule have been detected in deep space.

Buckminsterfullerene is one of the largest objects to have been shown to exhibit wave–particle duality; as stated in the theory every object exhibits this behavior. Its discovery led to the exploration of a new field of chemistry, involving the study of fullerenes.

Buckminsterfullerene derives from the name of the noted futurist and inventor Buckminster Fuller. One of his designs of a geodesic dome structure bears great resemblance to C₆₀; as a result, the discoverers of the allotrope named the newfound molecule after him. The general public, however, sometimes refers to buckminsterfullerene, and even Fuller's dome structure, as buckyballs.