buckminsterfullerene Definition
buckminsterfullerenenoun 1. chem.(formula C60) an almost spherical molecule, thought to be an ingredient of soots, in which each carbon atom is bonded to three others, so that the surface of the molecule consists of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons. Also called buckyball.
Etymology: 1990s: named after Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895‐1983), US engineer, who designed geodesic domes of similar structure.