Story perspectives

Researchers Discover Buckyballs, Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

11/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

On November 14, 1985, Harry Kroto, Richard Smalley, and Robert Curl at Rice University in Houston published findings on buckminster fullerene, a 60-carbon molecule also known as buckyballs.
The 60-carbon buckminster fullerene was discovered during experiments simulating red giant star conditions.
Their modeling revealed the structure and the molecule proved surprisingly unreactive, leading to the identification of fullerenes and earning the scientists the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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Story summary

On November 14, 1985, Harry Kroto, Richard Smalley, and Robert Curl at Rice University in Houston published findings on buckminster fullerene, a 60-carbon molecule also known as buckyballs.
The 60-carbon buckminster fullerene was discovered during experiments simulating red giant star conditions.
Their modeling revealed the structure and the molecule proved surprisingly unreactive, leading to the identification of fullerenes and earning the scientists the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.