Minit Buckyball Resonance

The C60 molecule, aka buckyball is a symmetrical (point group Ih), spherical fullerene made up of 60 carbon atoms. Its shape resembles a soccer ball which can be described as a truncated icosahedron. The carbon atoms are arranged as 12 pentagonal & 20 hexagonal rings where no two pentagons share an edge. This minimizes physical strain while enhancing chemical stability.

This physical model uses trigonal atoms which are sp2 hybridized that form three sigma bonds with adjacent carbon atoms. The remaining unhybridized pzp_zpz orbital on each carbon atom participates in a delocalized πpiπ-electron system. The model is shown with 15mm bonds connected additionally with "x-pegs". This closely approximates the scales of 1.45? & 1.4? but 20mm bonds can be used to differentiate if preferred.