Inclusion properties of 3-fluoromesotetraphenylporphyrin with C60 and C70

To improve the selectivity ratio of C70 over C60, a new designer molecule, viz., 3-fluoromesotetraphenylporphyrin (1) has been reported in the present investigations. Fluorescence studies reveal that the Q-absorption band of 1 gets sufficient quenching effect upon addition of both C60 and C70. Binding constants (K) of the C60/1 and C70/1 complexes are estimated to be 580 and 10,800 dm3 mol(-1), respectively. Thus, K(C70)/K(C60) is approximately 19 which is very large and even comparable with other macrocyclic host molecules like calix[5]arene, azacalix[m]arene[n]pyridine, cyclotriveratrylenophane and calixarene bisporphyrin. 1H NMR chemical shift measurements show that the -NH- proton of 1 suffers more shifts in presence of C70 compared to C60. This finding also offers a good support in favor of high K value for C70/1 complex as well as large selectivity ratio of C70 over C60.     

Thermochemistry of C60 and C70 fullerene solvates

In an effort to improve understanding of dissolution behaviour of fullerenes and their simple chemical derivatives the binary systems of C₆₀, C₇₀ and the piperazine monoadduct of [60] fullerene C₆₀ N₂C₄H₈ with a series of aromatic solvents have been studied by means of DSC. In certain systems solid solvates have been found to be the thermodynamically stable phases relative to saturated solution at room temperature. Identified solid solvates were characterized by their compositions, temperatures and enthalpies of incongruent melting transitions. The regularities in thermodynamic stability of the solvated crystals have been discussed along with dissolution properties of fullerenes and the derivative. Certain correlations have been observed.     

Determinations of combustion and formation enthalpies of C60 and C70

By using a micro-bomb calorimeter, the standard enthalpies of combustion of C₆₀ and C₇₀ have been determined to be - (25 947.1±8.5) and - (29 956.1 ± 8.9) kJ/mol respectively. A g. 1. c. analysis indicated that the amounts of residual organic solvents in the samples were very small, and their effects on the final results were negligible. The energy of combustion ofC60 determined in this work is in agreement in the uncertainty interval with that determined by means of traditional calorimeter using macro amount of sample. The enthalpies of formation of these two substances have been derived. The strain energies in the molecules of C₆₀ and C₇₀ were estimated by a bond energy scheme and by using corannulene as the model compound, the results estimated from different methods are very close. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 29473143)     

Preparation and study of hydrides of fullerenes C60 and C70

Fullerene hydrides were prepared by hydrogenation of fullerences C₆₀ and C₇₀ using proton transfer from 9,10-dihydroanthracene to fullerene and were studied by mass spectrometry (electron impact, field desorption), IR, UV, and¹H and¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The main product of the hydrogenation of C₆₀ is C₆₀H₃₆, which is sufficiently stable. Hydrogenation of fullerene C₇₀ gives a series of polyhydrides C₇₀H _n (n=36–46), and the main product is C₇₀H₃₆. The dehydrogenation of C₆₀H₃₆ by 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone is not quantitative and results in the formation of fullerene derivatives along with C₆₀. The comparison of the IR and¹H and¹³C NMR spectral data for solid C₆₀H₃₆ with the theoretical calculations suggests that the fullerene hydride has aT-symmetric structure and contains four isolated benzenoid rings located at tetrahedral positions on the surface of the closed skeleton of the molecule. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya. No. 4, pp. 671–678, April, 1997.     

Laser flash photolysis of fullerols of C60 and of C70 in aqueous solutions

Fullerols of C₆₀ and of C₇₀ [C₆₀(OH)_n, C₇₀(OH)_m], water-soluble fullerene derivatives, unlike some other fullerene derivatives (such as C₆₀ (C₄H₆O), C₆₀ (C₃H₇N) and C₆₀ [C(COOEt)₂]_x), do not result in excited triplet state but in ionization via monophotonic process in aqueous solutions with 248 nm laser. The quantum yields of formation of hydrated electron (Φ_e ⁻) are determined to be 0.08 and 0.11 for fullerols of C₆₀ and of C₇₀ respectively at room temperature (ca. 15°C) with KI solution used as reference. By laser flash photolysis and oxidation of sulfate radical anion SO₄ ⁻, the fullerol radical cation or neutral radical of C₆₀ is confirmed to be existent and the transient absorption spectra of fullerol radical cation of C₇₀ are observed for the first time. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Charge transfer in complexes of C60 and C70 in solutions and solid state

Electronic absorption spectra of complexes of C₆₀ and C₇₀ fullerenes with donors, tetrathiafulvalene and pyranylidene derivatives, were studied in solutions and in the solid state. Charge transfer bands were found in the 680–1300 nm range. The charge transfer energies (hv _ct) for the C₆₀ and C₇₀ complexes in solutions are close and almost independent of the solvent polarity. For the C₆₀ complexes in the solid state, the dependence ofhv _ct on the ionization potential (IP) of donors was found to behv _ct=0.82IP–3.93 eV. In the C₆₀ complexes in the solid state, thehv _ct values are 0.15–0.20 eV lower than those in the solution. The linear dependences ofhv _ct onIP of donors for the C₆₀ complexes lie 0.6–0.7 eV higher than those in the complexes with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE). This is associated with lower values of the electron affinity of C₆₀ and the energy of the electrostatic interaction in the fullerene complexes as compared to those of the TCNE complexes. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 478–483, March, 1999.     

Reduction of C60 and C70 by primary amines: Optical and ESR studies

Radical anions C70- and C70 2- were obtained in vacuo by the reaction of I-amino3-propanol (AP) and 1,5-diaminopentane (DAP) with fullerene C70. The radical anions were identified by visible/near IR (X = I372 and I172 nm, respectively) and ESR spectroscopies. The temperature dependences of the ESR spectra were studied for the C₆₀-AP, C₇₀-AP, and C70-DAP systems. At low temperatures (I5-45 K), the ESR spectrum for C60 is close to that for species with axial symmetry of theg-factor (q_| = 2.000 and g, = I.995). The anisotropy of theg-factor is averaged, when the temperature increases. At T > I48 K the averaged line is broadened, and the sharp signal with g = 2.0001 overlaps this broad line. The intensity of the narrow line increases, when the temperature increases. The ESR spectrum observed in the C₇₀-AP system at I2.5 K may be tentatively described as a superposition of two ESR spectra, namely, the ESR spectra of a radical with g_| = 2.0042 and g, = 2.0015 (presumably a radical cation) and of C₇₀ ^– with q_| = 2.000 and g = I.994. The spectra of the sample in which C70 is present mainly as C₇₀ ^2– exhibit only a line with g = 2.0004.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. I, pp. 103–108, January, 1996.     

Fullerenes against COVID-19: Repurposing C60 and C70 to Clog the Active Site of SARS-CoV-2 Protease

The persistency of COVID-19 in the world and the continuous rise of its variants demand new treatments to complement vaccines. Computational chemistry can assist in the identification of moieties able to lead to new drugs to fight the disease. Fullerenes and carbon nanomaterials can interact with proteins and are considered promising antiviral agents. Here, we propose the possibility to repurpose fullerenes to clog the active site of the SARS-CoV-2 protease, M^pro. Through the use of docking, molecular dynamics, and energy decomposition techniques, it is shown that C₆₀ has a substantial binding energy to the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, M^pro, higher than masitinib, a known inhibitor of the protein. Furthermore, we suggest the use of C₇₀ as an innovative scaffold for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 M^pro. At odds with masitinib, both C₆₀ and C₇₀ interact more strongly with SARS-CoV-2 M^pro when different protonation states of the catalytic dyad are considered. The binding of fullerenes to M^pro is due to shape complementarity, i.e., vdW interactions, and is aspecific. As such, it is not sensitive to mutations that can eliminate or invert the charges of the amino acids composing the binding pocket. Fullerenic cages should therefore be more effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus than the available inhibitors such as masinitib, where the electrostatic term plays a crucial role in the binding.     

New complexes of fullerences C60 and C70 with CoII and MnII tetraphenylporphyrinates and their ESR study

Complexes of fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ with cobalt(II) and manganese(II) tetraphenylporphyrinates of compositions Mn(TPP)·(C₆₀)₂(CS₂)_1.5 (1), Mn(TPP)·C₇₀(CS₂) _x , wherex<=1.25 (2), Co(TPP)·C₆₀(CS₂)_0.5 (3), and Co(TPP)·C₇₀(CS₂) _x , wherex<0.25 (4), were synthesized and studied by ESR spectroscopy. At 77 K, complexes1 and2 have singlet ESR spectra characteristic of the low-spin (S=1/2) state of Mn^II, withg=2.002 and linewidths of 250 G and 300 G, respectively, and differing significantly from that of the initial Mn^II(TPP) (g ₁=5.9 andg=2.0,S=5/2). The spectra of complexes1 and2 exposed to oxygen exhibit hyperfine structure due to interaction with⁵⁵Mn and¹⁴N nuclei. The ESR spectra of complexes3 and4 are asymmetric (<g>=2.4, ΔH _pp=(500–600) G), which is due to the overlap of parallel and perpendicular spectral components. The absence of ESR signals from C₆₀ ^.− and C₇₀ ^.− radical anions makes it possible to conclude that the formation of complexes1–4 is not accompanied by electron transfer from Co(TPP) and Mn(TPP) to fullerences C₆₀ and C₇₀. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 722–725, April, 1999.     

Rotation dynamics of C60 molecules in organic superconductor K3C60

The rotation dynamics of C₆₀ molecules in organic superconductor K₃C₆₀ has been investigated from the viewpoint of intramolecular interaction. It is determined that the rotation of C₆₀ at mom temperature has been frozen up within a small region of rotation angle (0°–50°), and pointed out that the reason for the freeze is the physical interaction rather than the geometrical hindrance. The computations of the interactions for alkali-doped compounds A_3-x A′ _x C₆₀ (x = 1, 2, 3; A, A′ = K, Rb, Cs) other than K₃C₆₀ have also been camed out. Fmm the obtained results, it is seen that the superconducting transition temperatures T, are strongly connected with the interactions in them, and this observation is consistent with the discovery of the correlation between T_c, and lattice constants a. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Redox-induced hydrogen transfer from hydrofullerene C60H36 to fullerene C60

The possibility of hydrogen transfer from hydrofullerene C₆₀H₃₆ to electrogenerated radical anion C₆₀ ^.− or dianion C₆₀ ²⁻ in propylene carbonate-toluence (3∶2, v/v) was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry. The process affords C₆₀H₂ as the product. The reaction found is the typical redox-induced process. Translated fromIzvestiya Akodemii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1136–1139, June, 1998.     

Molecular mechanics on bonding and non-bonding interactions in (atom@C60)

The interactions between the embedded atom X (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; F, Cl, Br, I) andC60 cage in the endohedral-form complexes (X@C₆₀) are calculated and discussed according to molecular mechanics from the point of view of the bonding and non-bonding. It is found from the computational results that for atoms with radii larger than Li’s, their locations with the minimum interaction in (X@C₆₀) are at the cage center, while atom Li has an off-center location with the minimum interaction deviation of ~0.05 nm, and the cage-environment in C₆₀ can be regarded as syhero-symmetry in the region with radiusr of ~0.2 nm. It is shown that the interaction between X and C₆₀ cage is of non-bonding characteristic, and this non-bonding interaction is not purely electrostatic. The repulsion and dispersion in non-bonding interactions should not be neglected, which make important contribution to the location with minimum interaction of X, at center or off center. Some rules about the variations of interactions with atomic radii have been obtained. Project supportt:d by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Hydrosilylation of fullerence C60

The hydrosilylation of C₆₀ by diphenylsilane was studied. Silicon-containing derivatives C₆₀H _n (HSiPh₂) _n (n=2, 4, 6) were obtained. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1697–1699, September, 1997.     

Thermal Stability of C60-Methylnaphthalenes Solvates

The crystalline solvates containing fullerenes and (di)methylnaphthalenes were investigated by thermal analyses and X-ray diffraction methods. It was found that C₆₀ with (di)methylnaphthalenes forms two types of stable solvates: either at the molar ratio 1:2 decomposing at temperatures close to 100°C or at 1:1 molar ratio decomposing in the temperature range 120–214°C. Crystalline lattice and thermal stability of the solvates depends on the structure of the solvent molecules. The strong solute-solvent interaction is also manifested by the modification of the C₆₀ absorption spectra in solution. The results are discussed using semiempirical quantum chemistry methods. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Theoretical studies on structures and UV-Vis spectra of C70O

Systematic studies on eight isomers of C₇₀O were performed by means of INDO methods. It has been indicated that the O atom is mainly added to the C₁-C₂ or C₃-C₃ bond and an epoxide feature with C_s symmetry is formed. Based on the optimized geometries, the UV-Vis spectra were calculated. It has been found that the main peaks of C₇₀O resemble those of C₇₀ and the characteristic absorptions beyond 460 nm are produced, which is in agreement with the experimental results. Theoretical assignments about the absorptions were canied out and the reason for the red-shift of the absorptions was discussed. C₇₀O is probably composed of four isomers according to the calculated results. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

The weak interaction between C60 and molecular iodine in solution

Fullerene C₆₀ forms a weak molecular complex with iodine. Its stability constant is much less (–1 mol^–1 than that determined in another study.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 2129—2130, August, 1996.     

Synthesis of Dendrimers with Porphyrine Core and their Supramolecular Complexes with Fullerene C60

Dendritic branches of poly(arylether) with peripheral butyl chains have been attached to a porphyrine core. Dendrimers of first, second and third generation were synthesized. Viability to form supramolecular complexes with fullerene C₆₀ was studied with two dendrimers of second and third generation. The supramolecular complexes were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C NMR in solution, FTIR, UV-vis spectroscopy and elemental analysis.     

Reactions of carbanions of bis(dialkoxyphosphoryl)bromomethane with fullerenes C60 and C70

The reactions of carbanions of bis(dialkoxyphosphoryl)bromomethanes with fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ afforded new bis(dialkoxyphosphoryl)methanofullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀, respectively, whose structures were established by spectroscopic methods.     

Selective reduction of fullerene C60 by metals in neutral and alkaline media. Interaction of C60 with KOH

The reduction of fullerene C₆₀ by Zn and Mg in DMF was studied both in the presence and absence of KOH. Fullerene C₆₀ was reduced in these systems to form the C₆₀ ^n– (n = 1, 2, and 3) anions. The anions were detected by optical and ESR spectroscopies. It was found that Mg reduced C₆₀ to the monoanion, Mg/KOH and Zn reduced C₆₀ to the dianion, and Zn/KOH reduced C₆₀ to the trianion. Like KCN, potassium hydroxide adds to fullerene upon interaction with C₆₀ in DMF. The reaction of C₆₀ with KOH in benzonitrile was accompanied by the generation of the fullerene monoanion. A possible mechanism of the formation of fullerene monoanions in the presence of KOH is discussed. The degradation of the C₆₀ ^n– anions in air was studied.     

High-temperature and photochemical syntheses of C60 and C70 fullerene derivatives with linear perfluoroalkyl chains

New experimental results on perfluoroalkylation of C₆₀ and C₇₀ with the use of R_fI (R_f = CF₃, C₂F₅, n-C₃F₇, n-C₄F₉, and n-C₆F₁₃), along with a critical overview of the existing synthetic methods, are presented. For the selected new fullerene (R_f)_n compounds we report spectroscopic, electrochemical and structural data, including improved crystallographic data for the isomers of C₇₀(C₂F₅)₁₀ and C₆₀(C₂F₅)₁₀, and the first X-ray structural data for the dodecasubstituted perfluoethylated C₇₀ fullerene, C₇₀(C₂F₅)₁₂, which possesses unprecedented addition pattern.