The reaction of fullerene C(60) with phthalazine: the mechanochemical solid-state reaction yielding a new C(60) dimer versus the liquid-phase reaction affording an open-cage fullerene

Complementary mechanochemical and biphasic approaches for the synthesis of organic thiocyanates using hexacyanoferrates as non-toxic cyanide sources

Herein, we describe two complementary approaches towards various organic thiocyanates that are affordable, reliable and follow the principles of sustainable chemistry, starting from commercially available thiols or disulfides. Additionally, the application of this mild method to the first total synthesis of psammaplin B is demonstrated. Non-toxic and inexpensive ferricyanide is used as the cyanide source, which can be activated either in a mechanochemical, solvent-free approach, or in a biphasic solvent system allowing easier work-up. A total of 27 examples is demonstrated, with up to quantitative yields.

Synthesis of endohedral fullerenes by molecular surgery

Encapsulation of atoms or small molecules inside fullerenes provides a unique opportunity for study of the confined species in the isolated cavity, and the synthesis of closed C₆₀ or C₇₀ fullerenes with enclosed atoms or molecules has recently developed using the method of 'molecular surgery'; in which an open-cage intermediate fullerene is the host for encapsulation of a guest species, before repair of the cage opening. In this work we review the main methods for cage-opening and closure, and the achievements of molecular surgery to date.

Water-Mediated Thermal Rearrangement of a Cage-Opened C60 Derivative

The partial zipping of a fullerene orifice was achieved by a water-mediated thermal rearrangement at 150 °C for one day while the orifice size changed from 16- to 14-membered ring with the generation of a fused pentagon. The addition of B(C6 F5 )3 was found to facilitate the reaction likely due to the coordination to carbonyl groups on the orifice. By extending the reaction time, the decarbonylation took place to give another 14-membered-ring orifice where the Michael addition of water occurred under acidic conditions. The computational study suggested that the formation of a carboxylic acid and Fischer-type carbene plays a key role in the C-C bond cleavage/reformation processes during the rearrangement.

Singlet Oxygen: Discovery, Chemistry, C60 -Sensitization†

This review article refers to the discovery of excited molecular oxygen, in particular on its lower singlet excited state (¹ Δ_g , ¹ O₂ ). After a short report on singlet oxygen generation, the review is focused on the chemistry of this reactive species. Specifically, the three major reactions of ¹ O₂ with unsaturated organic substrates, namely the [4 + 2] and [2 +2] cycloadditions as well as the ene reaction, are reviewed. The proposed mechanisms of these reactions, through the years, based on experimental and computational work, have been presented. Selected examples of singlet oxygen-synthetic applications are also mentioned. The [60]fullerene and fullereno-materials photosensitized oxidations in homogeneous, as well as in heterogeneous conditions, are also comprehensively discussed. Finally, the self-sensitized photooxidation of open cage fullerenes as well as fullerenes bearing oxidizable groups is reported.

Reactions of C60 with Pyridazine and Phthalazine

Cage-opened bisfulleroids are one of suitable building blocks for making a large hole on fullerenes. This work focuses on the Diels-Alder reaction of C₆₀ with azines, among synthetic methods developed thus far, to provide bisfulleroids. Surprisingly, the computational study predicted that the reaction proceeds with normal electron demand in contrast to hitherto considered inverse-electron-demand pathway. The benzoannulation to the pyridazine ring, i. e., phthalazine, resulted in the remarkably shortened reaction time due to the better interaction between the HOMO of phthalazine and the LUMO of C₆₀ as well as stronger 2,3-diaza-1,3-butadiene character in the phthalazine as confirmed crystallographically. Contrary to expectations, the benzobisfulleroid was converted into corresponding orifice-enlarged derivative via the photooxygenation slightly faster than the fulleroid derived from pyridazine.

An Amine Group Transfer Reaction Driven by Aromaticity

A stereoselective domino inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder/amine group transfer reaction catalyzed by a bidentate Lewis acid provides 1-amino-1,2-dihydronaphthalenes, a core structure in many bioactive compounds. A concerted mechanism is proposed based on experimental studies as well as DFT computations demonstrating a new general reactivity scheme. The broad scope of the reaction was evaluated by variation of all three starting compounds, phthalazines, aldehydes, and amines. Scalability was demonstrated by a gram scale reaction without diminished yield.

Tightly Bound Double-Caged [60]Fullerene Derivatives with Enhanced Solubility: Structural Features and Application in Solar Cells

A series of novel highly soluble double-caged [60]fullerene derivatives were prepared by means of lithium-salt-assisted [2+3] cycloaddition. The bispheric molecules feature rigid linking of the fullerene spheres through a four-membered cycle and a pyrrolizidine bridge with an ester function CO₂ R (R=n-decyl, n-octadecyl, benzyl, and n-butyl; compounds 1 a-d, respectively), as demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Cyclic voltammetry studies revealed three closely overlapping pairs of reversible peaks owing to consecutive one-electron reductions of fullerene cages, as well as an irreversible oxidation peak attributed to abstraction of an electron from the nitrogen lone-electron pair. Owing to charge delocalization over both carbon cages, compounds 1 a-d are characterized by upshifted energies of frontier molecular orbitals, a narrowed bandgap, and reduced electron-transfer reorganization energy relative to pristine C₆₀ . Neat thin films of the n-decyl compound 1 a demonstrated electron mobility of (1.3±0.4)×10^-3  cm²  V^-1  s^-1 , which was comparable to phenyl-C₆₁ -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and thus potentially advantageous for organic solar cells (OSC). Application of 1 in OSC allowed a twofold increase in the power conversion efficiencies of as-cast poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)/1 devices relative to the as-cast P3HT/PCBM ones. This is attributed to the good solubility of 1 and their enhanced charge-transport properties - both intramolecular, owing to tightly linked fullerene cages, and intermolecular, owing to the large number of close contacts between the neighboring double-caged molecules. Test P3HT/1 OSCs demonstrated power-conversion efficiencies up to 2.6 % (1 a). Surprisingly low optimal content of double-caged fullerene acceptor 1 in the photoactive layer (≈30 wt %) favored better light harvesting and carrier transport owing to the greater content of P3HT and its higher degree of crystallinity.

Regioselective Diels–Alder reaction to open-cage ketolactam derivatives of C60

Open-cage ketolactam fullerenes reacted with dienes on the rim of the orifice both regio- and endo-selectively, which were confirmed by 2D INADEQUATE ¹³C NMR of ¹³C enriched material/HMBC spectra as well as the theoretical calculations.

Molecular surgical synthesis of H₂@C₆₀: recollections

The first synthesis of endohedral fullerene containing molecular hydrogen, H₂@C₆₀, is briefly summarized. The synthesis was conducted according to what we call the 'molecular surgical method', that is, opening a hole on a C₆₀ surface, enlargement of the hole, insertion of a guest species and enclosure of the hole without loss of the encapsulated guest. The entire process involves three chemical reactions to open the hole and four reactions to gradually reduce the hole size and finally close the hole. The total yield of the product, H₂@C₆₀, based on consumed C₆₀ was 9%. The encapsulated molecule of hydrogen exhibited a 6 ppm upfield-shifted ¹H NMR signal when compared with free hydrogen, indicating the aromaticity at the inner centre of the C₆₀ cage.

Mechanochemistry of fullerenes and related materials

The low or lack of solubility of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene/graphite in organic solvents and water severely hampers the study of their chemical functionalizations and practical applications. Covalent and noncovalent functionalizations of fullerenes and related materials via mechanochemistry seem appealing to tackle these problems. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive coverage on the mechanochemical reactions of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphite, including dimerizations and trimerizations, nucleophilic additions, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, Diels-Alder reactions, [2 + 1] cycloadditions of carbenes and nitrenes, radical additions, oxidations, etc. It is intriguing to find that some reactions of fullerenes can only proceed under solvent-free conditions or undergo different reaction pathways from those of the liquid-phase counterparts to generate completely different products. We also present the application of the mechanical milling technique to complex formation, nanocomposite formation and enhanced hydrogen storage of carbon-related materials.

Preparation of open-cage fullerenes and incorporation of small molecules through their orifices

Open-cage fullerenes can act as hosts for small molecules such as water, nitrogen, or hydrogen, forming endohedral fullerenes. Following a brief summary of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen insertion in the fullerene framework to form homofullerenes, methods of creating a hole in the fullerene surface are surveyed. Techniques of hole enlargement and the insertion of atoms or molecules through the orifice to form endohedral fullerenes are described. Finally, the possibility of subsequent closure of the hole is considered.

Synthesis of [59]fullerenones through peroxide-mediated stepwise cleavage of fullerene skeleton bonds and X-ray structures of their water-encapsulated open-cage complexes

Fullerene skeleton modification has been investigated through selective cleavage of the fullerene carbon-carbon bonds under mild conditions. Several cage-opened fullerene derivatives including three [59]fullerenones with an 18-membered-ring orifice and one [59]fullerenone with a 19-membered-ring orifice have been prepared starting from the fullerene mixed peroxide 1, C60(OOtBu)6. The prepositioned tert-butyl peroxy groups in 1 serve as excellent oxygen sources for formation of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. The cage-opening reactions were initiated by photoinduced homolysis of the tBu-O bond, followed by sequential ring expansion steps. A key step of the ring expansion reactions is the oxidation of adjacent fullerene hydroxyl and amino groups by diacetoxyliodobenzene (DIB). Aminolysis of a cage-opened fullerene derivative containing an anhydride moiety resulted in multiple bond cleavage in one step. A domino mechanism was proposed for this reaction. Decarboxylation led to elimination of one carbon atom from the C60 cage and formation of [59]fullerenones. The cage-opened [59]fullerenones were found to encapsulate water under mild conditions. All compounds were characterized by spectroscopic data. Single-crystal structures were also obtained for five skeleton-modified derivatives including two water-encapsulated fulleroids.

Synthesis and Properties of Endohedral C60 Encapsulating Molecular Hydrogen

We report the details of our study to synthesize a new endohedral fullerene, H2@C60, in more than 100 mg quantities by closure of the 13-membered ring orifice of an open-cage fullerene using four-step organic reactions. The 13-membered ring orifice in a previously synthesized open-cage fullerene incorporating hydrogen in 100% yield was reduced to a 12-membered ring by extrusion of a sulfur atom at the rim of the orifice, and the ring was further reduced into an eight-membered ring by reductive coupling of two carbonyl groups also at the orifice. Final closure of the orifice was completed by a thermal reaction. Purification of H2@C60 was accomplished by recycle HPLC. A gradual downfield shift of the NMR signal for the encapsulated hydrogen observed upon reduction of the orifice size was interpreted based on the gauge-independent atomic orbital (GIAO) and the nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) calculations. The spectral as well as electrochemical examination of the properties of H2@C60 has shown that the electronic interaction between the encapsulated hydrogen and outer C60 pi-system is quite small but becomes appreciable when the outer pi-system acquires more than three extra electrons. Four kinds of exohedral derivatives of H2@C60 were synthesized. The tendency in the shift of the NMR signal of the inner hydrogen was found to be quite similar to that observed for the 3He NMR signal of the corresponding derivatives of 3He@C60.

Preparation of Fullerendione through Oxidation of Vicinal Fullerendiol and Intramolecular Coupling of the Dione To Form Hemiketal/Ketal Moieties

[reaction: see text] Vicinal fullerendiol is oxidized to fullerendione in good yield by (diacetoxy)iodobenzene. The resulting cage-opened fullerendione reacts with oxygen nucleophiles in the presence of BF(3).Et(2)O to form fullerene hemiketal/ketal derivatives through coupling of the two carbonyl groups. Fullerene-mixed peroxide derivatives are involved in all these reactions. The compounds are characterized by spectroscopic data and single-crystal X-ray analysis.

Rearrangement of the cyclohexadiene derivatives of C60 to bis(fulleroid) and bis(methano)fullerene: structure, stability, and mechanism

The cyclohexadiene derivative of C(60) rearranges photochemically to bis(fulleroid) (two [6,5] open structure) and bis(methano)fullerene (two [6,6] closed structure). During this process, a [6,5] open/[6,6] closed intermediate is observed. The isolated intermediate undergoes photochemical rearrangement to bis(fulleroid) and bis(methano)fullerene. On the other side, it undergoes retrorearrangement to the starting material in the dark. The structure and energetics of these C(60) derivatives have been studied at the AM1, PM3, RHF, and B3LYP levels of theory. It is found that bis(fulleroid) bearing four tert-butoxycarbonyl substituents is 5.8 kcal/mol (B3LYP) more stable than the corresponding bis(methano)fullerene. The isolated intermediate having the [6,5] open/[6,6] closed structure is 6.7 kcal/mol more favorable than the previously proposed two [6,5] closed intermediate, and the formation of this compound is well explained by the di-pi-methane rearrangement. (13)C NMR calculation at the B3LYP level reproduced the experimental chemical shifts with very good accuracy for each molecular system. Theoretical studies mainly at the unrestricted B3LYP level on singlet and triplet state potential energy surfaces on fullerene derivatives support the di-pi-methane rearrangement mechanism. The previously proposed symmetrical [4+4]/[2+2+2] and the novel proposed unsymmetrical di-pi-methane pathways may coexist during the reaction.

A novel photorearrangement of a cyclohexadiene derivative of C60

[reaction: see text] Photorearrangement of tetraalkoxycarbonyl-substituted cyclohexadiene derivatives of C(60) yields not only well-known bis(fulleroid) but also bis(methano)fullerene. Existence of a labile and structurally new intermediate is observed in the reaction mixture. The discovery of the compound suggests the existence of another possible pathway giving those two products other than the widely accepted [4 + 4]/[2 + 2 + 2] mechanism.