Ball-and-stick Buckminsterfullerene molecule next to a soccer ball. A soccer ball is a model of the Buckminsterfullerene C60, which is a hollow, spherical structure of 60 carbon atoms with a carbon atom at the corner of each pentagon and hexagon. It is often present in soot. Buckminsterfullerene is one of numerous varieties of hollow or tubular carbon molecules known as fullerenes. They are named after the work of Richard Buckminster Fuller, a twentieth century American designer who pioneered the use of geodesic domes in architecture.