Sisi Liang

Selective synthesis of fullerenol derivatives with terminal alkyne and crown ether addends.

A series of isomerically pure alkynyl-substituted fullerenol derivatives such as C(60)(OH)(6)(O(CH(2))(3)CCH)(2) were synthesized through Lewis acid catalyzed epoxy ring opening and/or S(N)1 replacement reactions starting from the fullerene-mixed peroxide C(60)(O)(t-BuOO)(4). Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition readily converted the terminal alkynyl groups into triazole groups. Intramolecular oxidative alkyne coupling afforded a fullerenyl crown ether derivative.

Pentafluorophenyl transfer reaction: preparation of pentafluorophenyl [60]fullerene adducts through opening of fullerene epoxide moiety with trispentafluorophenylborane.

Unlike the extensively studied perfluoroalkyl fullerene adducts, perfluorophenyl fullerene adducts are quite difficult to prepare by known methods. Trispentafluorophenylborane was found to react with fullerene epoxide to form the 1,2-perfluorophenylfullerenol. The method can be applied to both the simple epoxide C60(O) and fullerene multiadducts containing an epoxide moiety. Single crystal X-ray structure analysis confirmed the addition of the pentafluorophenyl group.

A green fullerene derivative as a fluoride ion sensor

An open-cage fullerene derivative with an enamine moiety on the rim of the orifice is prepared through a lithium chloride induced dehydration process involving an intramolecular Friedel–Crafts reaction and ring expansion rearrangement steps. The enamine moiety reacts with fluoride ions selectively and acts as the active site for fluoride ion detection.

Preparation of a 12-membered open-cage fullerendione through silane/borane-promoted formation of ketal moieties and oxidation of a vicinal fullerendiol.

[60]Fullerene mixed peroxide C(60) (OH)(Cl)(OOtBu) reacts with PhMe(2)SiH/B(C(6)F(5))(3) to give oxahomofullerene. Mechanistic investigation indicates that the hydroxyl group in the central pentagon ring is essential to convert the tert-butylperoxo group into a ketal moiety. Migration of the silyl group and transformation of the siloxy group into a phenyl group are observed in the deprotection of the fullerene bound siloxy group. A 12-membered open-cage fullerendione was obtained through oxidation of a [6,6]-fullerendiol. This orifice could be closed to form ketal/hemiketal moieties by BF(3)-catalyzed reaction with methanol. All of the new fullerene derivatives were characterized by spectroscopic data, and structure of the open-cage fullerendione was also confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis.

Release of the Water Molecule Encapsulated Inside an Open‐Cage Fullerene through Hydrogen Bonding Mediated by Hydrogen Fluoride

A reversible wetting/dewetting procedure is reported for an open-cage fullerene with an 18-membered orifice. In a homogeneous mixture of H2O/EtOH/CHCl3, water was encapsulated into the cavity of the open-cage compound quantitatively at 80 °C. Addition of aqueous hydrogen fluoride into the water-encapsulated complex removed the encapsulated water completely at room temperature. H-bonding between the trapped water and fluoride is shown to play a key role for the water release process.

Synthesis and chemical reactivity of tetrahydro[60]fullerene epoxides with both amino and aryl addends.

Tetrahydro[60]fullerene epoxides C60(O)Ar(n)(NR2)(4-n), n = 1, 2, have been prepared by treating 1,4-adducts C60(OH)Ph and C60(Tol)2 with cyclic secondary amines. The epoxy moieties in these mixed tetrahydro[60]fullerene epoxides were hydrolyzed into the corresponding diol derivatives, which were further oxidized into diketone open-cage fullerenes with a 10-membered orifice. A few other reactions also showed that the present tetrahydro[60]fullerene epoxides with both amino and aryl addends exhibit improved chemical reactivity over the tetraamino[60]fullerene epoxide without any aryl group.

Open-cage fullerene with a stopper acts as a molecular vial for a single water molecule

An open-cage fullerene derivative with three carbonyl groups on the rim of the orifice reacts with o-diaminobenzene reversibly to form a tetrahydrofuran moiety above the orifice. Water encapsulation and release experiments show that the tetrahydrofuran moiety acts as a stopper effectively blocking the orifice. The addition and removal of o-diaminobenzene serve as a chemically controlled switching process for the fullerene-based water container, which is suited for just one water molecule due to its moderate cavity size.