In addition to I-h symmetry buckminsterfullerene, four other isomers of C-6
0 were generated in a microwave plasma of chloroform. The newly observed is
omers, 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 syn
thetic reaction, a modified Pentagon Road scheme is suggested for fullerene
formation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.