A C78 fullerene precursor: toward the direct synthesis of higher fullerenes

A C78 fullerene related structure (of C78:1 and C78:4, the last undiscovered C78 IPR isomer) has been synthesized and investigated as a pyrolytic precursor. The pyrolysis of precursor containing all 78 carbon atoms in the required positions and 93 of the 117 C-C bonds, needed for fullerene formation, showed selectivity for C78 fullerene formation. In independent experiments it has been shown that the flash pyrolysis of C78 fullerene is not affected by Stone-Wales rearrangement and loss of C2 fragments and, thus, is very promising for the synthesis of individual isomers of higher fullerenes.