Five isomers Of C60 generated in microwave plasma of chloroform

In addition to I-h symmetry buckminsterfullerene, four other isomers of C-60 were generated in a microwave plasma of chloroform. The newly observed isomers, separated and identified by a high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), were found to be stable at room temperature but transform to buckminsterfullerene when heated. With regards to the generation of various fully chlorinated carbon clusters as well as the C-60 isomers, which may be attributed to the rapidly cooling of the synthetic reaction, a modified Pentagon Road scheme is suggested for fullerene formation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.