Donald Huffman

Donald R. Huffman (1935 – November 2, 2025) was an American academic Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Arizona. With Wolfgang Krätschmer, he developed a technique in 1990 for the simple production of large quantities of C60, or Buckminsterfullerene. Previously, in 1982~1983, he and Krätschmer had found, in a UV spectrum, the first signal of C60 ever observed.

Huffman and his team were nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry but didn’t get it due to technicalities.

Huffman was featured prominently in "Race to Catch a Buckyball", a 1995 episode of the Nova documentary series.

Huffman died on November 2, 2025, at the age of 90.