Endohedral metallofullerenes: New spherical cage molecules with interesting properties

Endohedral metallofullerenes (fullerenes containing metals inside the carbon cage) have long attracted special interest as new spherical molecules with novel properties. Recent important progress has been marked by successful isolation and purification in macroscopic quantities. With the availability of such purified samples, it has been possible to investigate the structures, electronic properties, and chemical reactivities. Very recent progress in the theoretical and experimental studies of endohedral metallofullerenes is summarized to show what are known or still unknown for the future material, catalytic, and biological applications.