Chiral Bisazafulleroids

Rigid Tether Directed Regioselective Synthesis and Crystallographic Characterization of Labile 1,2,3,4-Bis(triazolino)[60]fullerene and Its Thermolized Derivatives

Labile bis-triazoline adducts of C60 are supposed to be the precursors of bis-azafulleroids, but the formation mechanism is still unclear because of the incomplete isolation of the thermolized products and the lack of X-ray structures. A rigid-tethered reagent 1,2-bis(azidomethyl)benzene (1) was used to regioselectively synthesize the labile 1,2,3,4-bis(triazolino)[60]-fullerene (2), the structure of which was determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Further thermolysis of 2 produces four products (3 a-3 d), which were all characterized by X-ray crystallography. Although 3 a and 3 b have traditional bis-azafulleroid structures, as proposed previously, 3 c and 3 d show unprecedented structures with either the coexistence of [5,6]-open and [6,6]-closed patterns or an oxidized structure with an 11-membered ring on the cage. A thermolysis mechanism is proposed to clarify long-term confusion about the transformation process from bis-triazoline adducts to bis-azafulleroids of C60 .

Helical Arrays of Pendant Fullerenes on Optically Active Poly(phenylacetylene)s

Novel, optically active, stereoregular poly(phenylacetylene)s bearing the bulky fullerene as the pendant were synthesized by copolymerization of an achiral phenylacetylene bearing a [60]fullerene unit with optically active phenylacetylene components in the presence of a rhodium catalyst. The C60-bound phenylacetylene was prepared by treatment of C60 with N-(4-ethynylbenzyl)glycine in a Prato reaction. The obtained copolymers exhibited induced circular dichroism (ICD) in solution both in the main-chain region and in the achiral fullerene chromophoric region, although their ICD intensities were highly dependent on the structures of the optically active phenylacetylenes and the solution temperature. These results indicate that the optically active copolymers form one-handed helical structures and that the pendant achiral fullerene groups are arranged in helical arrays with a predominant screw sense along the polymer backbone. The structures and morphology of the copolymers on solid substrates were also investigated by atomic force microscopy.

The First Trisaza-Bridged [60]Fulleroid: Drilling a Hole on the Fullerene

[reaction: see text] Two types of trisaza-bridged [60]fulleroids have been synthesized for the first time. By means of (13)C NMR, (1)H NMR, MALDI-TOF MS, FTIR, UV-vis, and 2D-NMR (gHSQC, gHMBC, and NOSEY) spectroscopy, they have been shown to be tris[6,5]-opened-aza-bridged adducts with substituents on the same five-membered ring with C(s)() symmetry. Some data of nonlinear optics and electrochemistry for the product are also reported.

Mechanism of the addition reaction of alkyl azides to [60]fullerene and the subsequent N2 extrusion to form monoimino-[60]fullerenes

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of methyl azide to C60 and the subsequent nitrogen elimination from the formed triazoline intermediate to yield the aziridine adduct have been studied using semiempirical and density functional methods. The results obtained show that the addition of methyl azide to C60 takes place in the ring junction between two six-membered rings leading to a closed [6,6]-trizoline intermediate with an energy barrier of about 20 kcal mol-1 and an exothermicity of ca. 2 kcal mol-1 at the B3LYP/6-31G**//AM1 level of theory. The subsequent thermal loss of N2 takes place through a stepwise mechanism in which the cleavage of the N-N single bond precedes the breaking of the N-C bond, with a total activation energy of approximately 45 kcal mol-1. The N2 loss occurs simultaneously with the formation of the new N-C bond. During the process, the steric effects of the leaving N2 molecule prevent the addition of the nitrene substituent to the [6,6]-ring junction attacked initially and force the addition to an adjacent [5,6]-ring junction.

Novel Bismethanofullerenes and Ethenofullerene from the Reaction of Propiolates with C(60) in the Presence of Triphenylphosphine

Methyl propiolate reacts with C(60) in the presence of triphenylphosphine in toluene to give a bismethanofullerene 2. Compound 2 is an adduct of two methyl propiolate units to a C(60) moiety and consists of two methano bridges across two 6,6-ring junctions of the same six-membered ring on the fullerene moiety. Similarly, ethyl propiolate reacts with C(60) in the presence of PPh(3) to yield bismethanofullerene 3. Detailed analysis of the products from the reaction of methyl propiolate with C(60) shows, in addition to 2 and C(60), an ethenofullerene 4 and an unidentified insoluble material were isolated. Compound 4, which may be viewed as a [2 + 2] cycloaddition adduct of C(60) and methyl propiolate, consists of a cyclobutene ring fused to the carbons on a 6,6-ring junction of the C(60) moiety. On the basis of the known chemistry of phosphine with electron-withdrawing alkynes and C(60), mechanisms are proposed to account for the formation of the bismethanofullerenes 2 and 3 and ethenofullerene 4.