Harry Kroto

Harry Kroto was a British chemist best known for discovering a new form of carbon called buckminsterfullerene, or "buckyballs." These are spherical molecules made up of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a pattern similar to a geodesic dome. Kroto's work helped reveal how carbon can form complex, stable structures beyond diamonds and graphite, opening new fields in nanotechnology and materials science. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for this discovery, which has significant implications for developing new materials and understanding molecular structures in nature.