Indano[60]fullerene bromide was isolated as a key intermediate in the synthesis of indano[60]fullerene ketone, an evaporable fullerene derivative. Based on the identified reaction mechanism, aqueous hydrobromic acid was used to achieve reproducible and high-yielding reactions. A scalable one-pot reaction from aryl[60]fullerenyl dimers to indano[60]fullerene ketone was also demonstrated.