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Buckminsterfullerene (or BUCKY BALL) is a form (allotrope) of carbon. In this molecule, there are sixty carbon atoms arranged in a sphere (actually at the vertices of a truncated icosahedron - shown in this graphic as a translucent red figure that you can manipulate). Fullerenes have rather exotic properties and these hollow balls of carbon atoms are likely to have many uses. Compare this with graphene, which is a flat sheet of carbon atoms and a nanotube which is a tube (see an interactive nanotube). |