Does φ-Aromaticity exist in prismatic {Bi6}-based clusters?

In a recent paper (Peerless et al. Nat. Chem. 15, 347-356, (2023)), the authors isolated the heterometallic cluster containing at its heart the prismatic {Bi6}-based cluster. To explain its exceptionally high abundance and selective formation tendency (as compared to other Zintl clusters) as well as the unusual magnetic-response properties, the authors introduced the so-called phi-aromaticity. Here, we show that introducing a new type of aromaticity in this case is unjustified and misleading.