We recently reported the occurrence and crystal structures of two, concomitant, rotationally disordered polymorphs of C₆₀•2S₈ at room temperature, the α- and γ- forms, and their crystal-to crystal transformations to fully ordered polymorphs named β- and δ- C₆₀•2S₈, respectively, at low temperatures.¹ At 90 K, certain ball^---ball centroids of both forms are relatively close, the shortest being 9.881 Å and 9.855 Å, respectively. Polymerization of C₆₀ has received attention over the years in quest of interesting properties. These studies have primarily utilized powdered C₆₀. We were curious to see happens to C₆₀ under high pressure in a crystalline, binary phase such as with S₈, and if crystal-to-crystal transformations would occur. Possibly S₈would catalyze polymerization and help to prevent fullerene collapse, and orientational ordering would occur. High pressure measurements have been carried out at the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and our results will be summarized.

¹Ghiassi, et al., Cryst. Growth Des. 2015, 15, 404.