Reaction of C60 with KMnF4 : Isolation and characterization of a new isomer of C60F8 and re-evaluation of the structures of C60F7(CF3) and the known isomer of C60F8

The volatile fluorofullerene products of high-temperature reactions of C₆₀ with the ternary manganese(III, IV) fluorides KMnF₄, KMnF₅, A₂MnF₆ (A⁺ = Li⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺), and K₃MnF₆ were monitored as a function of reaction temperature, reaction time, and stoichiometric ratio by in situ Knudsen-cell mass spectrometry. When combined with fluorofullerene product ratios from larger-scale (bulk) screening reactions with the same reagents, an optimized set of conditions was found that yielded the greatest amount of C₆₀F₈ (KMnF₄/C₆₀ mol ratio 28-30, 470 °C, 4-5 h). Two isomers of C₆₀F₈ were purified by HPLC, one of which has not been previously reported. Quantum chemical calculations at the DFT level combined with 1D and 2D ¹⁹F NMR, FTIR, and FT-Raman spectroscopy indicate that the C₆₀F₈ isomer previously reported to be 1,2,3,8,9,12,15,16-C₆₀F₈ is actually 1,2,3,6,9,12,15,18-C₆₀F₈, making it the first high-temperature fluorofullerene with non-contiguous fluorine atoms. The new isomer, which was found to be 1,2,7,8,9,12,13,14-C₆₀F₈, is predicted to be 5.5 kJ mol⁻¹ more stable than 1,2,3,6,9,12,15,18-C₆₀F₈ at the DFT level. In addition, new DFT calculations and spectroscopic data indicate that the compound previously isolated from the high-temperature reaction of C₆₀ and K₂PtF₆ and reported to be 16-CF₃-1,2,3,8,9,12,15-C₆₀F₇ is actually 18-CF₃-1,2,3,6,8,12,15-C₆₀F₇.