Rock‐Salt‐Type Crystal of Thermally Contracted C₆₀ with Encapsulated Lithium Cation

Rock solid: fullerene-encapsulated Li(+) (Li(+)@C(60)) is an alkaline cation owing to the spherical shape and positive charge. Li(+)@C(60) crystallizes as a rock-salt-type crystal in the presence of PF(6)(-). The orientations of C(60) and PF(6)(-) (orange) are perfectly ordered below 370 K, and Li(+) (purple) hops within the cage. At temperatures below 100 K two Li(+) units are localized at two polar positions within each C(60) .