Planar Quinary Cluster inside a Fullerene Cage: Synthesis and Structural Characterizations of Sc3NC@C80-Ih

The endohedral fullerene Sc3NC@C-80-I-h has been synthesized and characterized; it has an unprecedented planar quinary cluster in a fullerene cage. It is also the first chemical compound in which the presence of an unprecedented (NC)(3-) trianion has been disclosed. The fascinating intramolecular dynamics in Sc3NC@C-80-I-h enables the whole molecule to display high polarity and promising ferroelectricity. This finding inspires the possibility that such a planar quinary cluster may be useful in constructing many other endohedral fullerenes.