ABSTRACT
One of the attractive properties of fullerenes is their ability to encapsulate atoms, ions, cluster, and even small molecules. The term endohedral for application to fullerenes with other species in their inner space was first introduced in 1991 (Cioslowski and Fleischmann 1991; Weiske et al. 1991) and originates from a combination of Greek ἔνδον (endon-within) and ἕδρα (hedra-face of a geometrical figure). Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) are then fullerenes with metal atoms within the carbon cage. Encapsulation can be achieved in two pathways: either species are “implanted” into empty fullerene molecules, which are synthesized beforehand, or encapsulation happens during the fullerene formation (Figure 12.1). EMFs are usually obtained by the second procedure.
