diff --git a/src/test/org/openscience/cdk/ringsearch/SSSRFinderTest.java b/src/test/org/openscience/cdk/ringsearch/SSSRFinderTest.java
index 30fd99f3191..2a381eb303d 100644
--- a/src/test/org/openscience/cdk/ringsearch/SSSRFinderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/org/openscience/cdk/ringsearch/SSSRFinderTest.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 /* $Revision$ $Author$ $Date$
  * 
  * Copyright (C) 2007  Egon Willighagen <egonw@users.sf.net>
+ *               2009  Mark Rijnbeek <markr@ebi.ac.uk>
  * 
  * Contact: cdk-devel@lists.sourceforge.net
  * 
@@ -21,14 +22,18 @@
 package org.openscience.cdk.ringsearch;
 
 import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
 
 import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.openscience.cdk.CDKConstants;
 import org.openscience.cdk.CDKTestCase;
 import org.openscience.cdk.DefaultChemObjectBuilder;
+import org.openscience.cdk.exception.CDKException;
 import org.openscience.cdk.interfaces.IAtom;
+import org.openscience.cdk.interfaces.IAtomContainer;
 import org.openscience.cdk.interfaces.IChemObject;
 import org.openscience.cdk.interfaces.IMolecule;
 import org.openscience.cdk.interfaces.IRing;
@@ -242,6 +247,124 @@ private String toString(IRing ring, IMolecule molecule) throws Exception
         }
         return str;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Method findRelevantRings() computes the rings (cycles) that are contained
+     * in *some* SSSR (minimum cycle basis).
+     */
+    @Test  public void testBuckyballRelevantRings() throws Exception {
+        IMolecule buckyball = createBuckyBall();
+        IRingSet ringSetRelevant = new SSSRFinder(buckyball).findRelevantRings();
+        ringCount(ringSetRelevant,6,20);
+        ringCount(ringSetRelevant,5,12);
+
+        Assert.assertFalse("Duplicate rings exist",
+                           checkForDuplicateRingsInSet(ringSetRelevant));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Method findSSSR() computes one (of possibly several) SSSRs.
+     */
+    @Test  public void testBuckyballSSSR() throws Exception {
+        IMolecule buckyball = createBuckyBall();
+        IRingSet ringSetSSSR = new SSSRFinder(buckyball).findSSSR();
+        ringCount(ringSetSSSR,6,19);
+        ringCount(ringSetSSSR,5,12);
+        Assert.assertFalse("Duplicate rings exist",
+                           checkForDuplicateRingsInSet(ringSetSSSR));
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Method findEssentialRings() computes the rings (cycles) contained
+     * in *any* SSSR (minimum cycle basis). A SSSR for the bucky ball has
+     * 19 6-rings; by symmetry, this means that any 19 out of the 20 6-rings
+     * can be chosen for a SSSR. In other words, none of the 20 6-rings
+     * is essential.
+     */
+    @Test public void testBuckyballEssentialRings() throws Exception {
+        IMolecule buckyball = createBuckyBall();
+        IRingSet ringSetEssential =
+            new SSSRFinder(buckyball).findEssentialRings();
+        ringCount(ringSetEssential,6,0);
+        ringCount(ringSetEssential,5,12);
+        Assert.assertFalse("Duplicate rings exist",
+                           checkForDuplicateRingsInSet(ringSetEssential));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a bucky ball molecule.
+     * @return bucky ball molecule
+     */
+    private IMolecule createBuckyBall () throws CDKException {
+        IMolecule molecule = null;
+        String filename = "data/mdl/buckyball.mol";
+        InputStream ins =
+            this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream(filename);
+        MDLV2000Reader reader = new MDLV2000Reader(ins, Mode.STRICT);
+        molecule = (IMolecule)reader.read(new org.openscience.cdk.Molecule());
+        Assert.assertTrue("Atom count is 60 ", molecule.getAtomCount()==60 );
+        Assert.assertTrue("Bond count is 90 ", molecule.getBondCount()==90 );
+        return molecule;
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Validates that the SSSR has found the expected number of rings
+     * of a particular size.
+     * @param ringSet constructed by SSSR.
+     * @param ringSizeForCounting particular ring size to count
+     * @param expectedNumOfRings the expected number of rings
+     */
+    private void ringCount
+    (IRingSet ringSet, int ringSizeForCounting, int expectedNumOfRings) {
+        int ringCount = 0;
+        for (IAtomContainer ring : ringSet.atomContainers() ) {
+            if (ring.getAtomCount() == ringSizeForCounting) {
+                ringCount++;
+            }
+        }
+        Assert.assertTrue("Counting rings of size "+ringSizeForCounting,
+                           expectedNumOfRings ==ringCount);
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Checks if the ringSet (created by SSSR) contains rings with
+     * exactly the same atoms.
+     */
+    static boolean checkForDuplicateRingsInSet(IRingSet ringset) {
+        // Make a list of rings
+        List<IAtomContainer> ringList=new ArrayList <IAtomContainer>();
+        for (IAtomContainer atCont : ringset.atomContainers() ) {
+            ringList.add(atCont);
+        }
+        //Outer loop over rings
+        for (IAtomContainer ring : ringList) {
+            // Inner loop over rings
+            for (IAtomContainer otherRing : ringList) {
+                if (otherRing.hashCode() != ring.hashCode() &&
+                    otherRing.getAtomCount()==ring.getAtomCount()) {
+
+                    // check if the two rings have all the same atoms in them -
+                    // this should not happen (="duplicate" rings)
+                    boolean sameAtoms=true;
+                    DUP_LOOP:
+                    for (IAtom at : ring.atoms() ) {
+                        if (!otherRing.contains(at))  {
+                                sameAtoms=false;
+                                break DUP_LOOP;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    if (sameAtoms)  {
+                        return true;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
 }