Towards a 32‐Electron Principle: Pu@Pb 12 and Related Systems

The predicted endohedral icosahedral clusters Pu@Pb 12 (see picture; Pu blue, Pb yellow) and [Am@Pb 12 ] + have an outermost 32‐electron system corresponding to formally occupied 7s, 7p, 6d, and 5f actinide orbitals, each of which interacts with a Pb 6p‐based orbital of the [Pb 12 ] 2− cage. This study provides the first example of a formal 32‐electron principle, and 32 is not a false magic number.