💏intro to chemistry review

Fuller

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

A fuller is a tool used in blacksmithing that has a groove or indentation to shape and thin metal. It is also a term used in chemistry to describe a buckyball or fullerene, which is a molecule composed entirely of carbon, taking the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Fullerenes are allotropes of carbon with molecules consisting of carbon atoms connected by single and double bonds to form a closed or partially closed mesh.
  2. The most common fullerene is C60, also known as buckminsterfullerene or buckyball.
  3. Fullerenes exhibit unique properties such as high strength, electrical conductivity, and the ability to act as superconductors.
  4. They are used in various applications including drug delivery systems, lubricants, catalysts, and nanotechnology.
  5. Fullerenes were first discovered in 1985 by scientists Robert Curl, Harold Kroto, and Richard Smalley.
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