C72Cl4: a pristine fullerene with favorable pentagon-adjacent structure

A long-sought empty non-IPR fullerene, (#11188)C72, which is more stable than the sole IPR isomer in the fullerene[72] family, has been retrieved and crystallographically characterized as (#11188)C72Cl4. Mass spectrometric data support the facile dechlorination of (#11188)C72Cl4 and, in turn, the possible stability of pristine (#11188)C72.