Thiozonation and thiozonolysis of triatomic sulfur (S<Subscript>3</Subscript>) on the C<Subscript>70</Subscript> fullerene: a DFT study

Density functional theory calculations have been carried out to investigate the [2?+?x] x?=?1, 2, and 3 cycloaddition reactions (paths A, B, and C) of triatomic sulfur (S₃) with the C₇₀ fullerene in terms of geometry, energies, and electronic structures. The thiozonation (S₃) on the hexagon–hexagon and hexagon–pentagon bonds of the C₇₀ fullerene through 1,3-dipolar reaction, i.e., [2?+?3] cycloaddition, is generally exothermic, while through the chelotrope additions, i.e., [2?+?1] cycloaddition, are endothermic. The results indicate that the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is the most preferable path. Having more negative values of reaction energies E_r together with the lower barrier heights, thiozonation of the hexagon–hexagon bonds is thermodynamically and kinetically more favorable than hexagon–pentagon ones. Moreover, the addition of thiozone to the hexagon–hexagon bonds near the pole area of the C₇₀ leads to more negative reaction energies. Therefore, it is established that the arrangement and position of C=C bonds play an important role in the thiozonation of C₇₀ fullerene. Thiozonolysis of triatomic sulfur (S₃) indicates that S–S bond cleavage has not occurred, instead a sulfur bridge over a C–C bond or a four-membered ring of 1,2-dithietane-1-sulfide is preferred to be formed.     

Reactivity of fullerene C<Subscript>60</Subscript>

The results of a quantum-chemical study of the reactivity of fullerene C₆₀ in such reactions as polymerization (dimerization), cycloaddition, addition of valence-saturated molecules are presented. The mechanisms of these reactions are also discussed.     

Aqueous dispersions of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> fullerene

Stable aqueous colloidal dispersions of C₆₀ fullerene are prepared. A solvatochromic effect is revealed upon the addition of C₆₀ solution in chlorobenzene to a water-acetone mixture.     

Benzene Adsorption on C<Subscript>24</Subscript>, Si@C<Subscript>24</Subscript>, Si-Doped C<Subscript>24</Subscript>, and C<Subscript>20</Subscript> Fullerenes

The absorption feasibility of benzene molecule in the C₂₄, Si@C₂₄, Si-doped C₂₄, and C₂₀ fullerenes has been studied based on calculated electronic properties of these fullerenes using Density functional Theory (DFT). It is found that energy of benzene adsorption on C₂₄, Si@C₂₄, and Si-doped C₂₄ fullerenes were in range of –2.93 and –51.19 kJ/mol with little changes in their electronic structure. The results demonstrated that the C₂₄, Si@C₂₄, and Si-doped C₂₄ fullerenes cannot be employed as a chemical adsorbent or sensor for benzene. Silicon doping cannot significantly modify both the electronic properties and benzene adsorption energy of C₂₄ fullerene. On the other hand, C₂₀ fullerene exhibits a high sensitivity, so that the energy gap of the fullerene is changed almost 89.19% after the adsorption process. We concluded that the C₂₀ fullerene can be employed as a reliable material for benzene detection.     

A DFT study on electronic and optical properties of aspirin-functionalized B<Subscript>12</Subscript>N<Subscript>12</Subscript> fullerene-like nanocluster

In this work, the interaction of an aspirin (AS) molecule with the external surface of a boron nitride fullerene-like nanocage (B₁₂N₁₂) is studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Equilibrium geometry, electronic properties, adsorption energy and thermodynamic stability are identified for all of the adsorbed configurations. Four stable configurations are obtained for the interaction of AS molecule with the B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage, with adsorption energies in the range of ?10.1 to ?37.7 kcal/mol (at the M06-2X/6-31 + G** level). Our results clearly indicate that Al-doping of the B₁₂N₁₂ tends to increase the adsorption energy and thermodynamic stability of AS molecule over this nanocage. We further study the adsorption of AS over the B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₁N₁₂Al in the presence of a protic (water) or aprotic (benzene) solvent. It is found that the calculated binding distances and adsorption energies by the PCM and CPCM solvent models are very similar, especially for the B₁₂N₁₂ complexes. According to time-dependent DFT calculations, the Al-doping can shift estimated λ _max values toward longer wavelengths (redshift). Solvent effects also have an important influence on the calculated electronic absorption spectra of AS-B₁₂N₁₂ complexes.     

First-principles study of the pressure effects on the structural and electronic properties of crystalline organic azide C<Subscript>10</Subscript>H<Subscript>8</Subscript>N<Subscript>6</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>

Within the density functional theory with regard to the dispersion interaction the crystal structure parameters of organic C₁₀H₈N₆O₄ azide are determined. The pressure effect in the range 0-20 GPa on its structural and electronic properties is studied. Parameters of the equation of state in the Vinet and Birch–Murnaghan models are determined. Within the quasi-particle method (G ₀ W ₀) the energy band structure is calculated. It is shown that the hydrostatic pressure of 20 GPa results in the approach of planes of C₁₀H₈N₆O₄ molecules and their shift relative to each other. This is accompanied by a broadening of the upper valence bands and a decrease in the band gap from 5.07 eV to 3.97 eV.     

Synthesis and structures of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> fullerene chlorides

Systematic study of chlorination of fullerene C₆₀ with inorganic chlorides SbCl₅, VCl₄, MoCl₅, and KICl₄ was carried out. Higher chlorofullerenes, viz., T _h -C₆₀Cl₂₄, C₆₀Cl₂₈, C ₂-C₆₀Cl₃₀, and D _3d -C₆₀Cl₃₀, can be prepared depending on the temperature and time of chlorination. The molecular and crystal structures of C₆₀Cl₂₄⋅VOCl₃, C₆₀Cl₃₀⋅2CS₂, and C₆₀Cl₃₀O_1.22 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Fullerenes C₆₀Cl₂₈ and C ₂-C₆₀Cl₃₀ were shown to be only kinetically stable, whereas D _3d -C₆₀Cl₃₀ is a thermodynamically stable product. Transformations of less chlorinated fullerenes into more chlorinated products are accompanied by substantial changes in the addition patterns. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1608–1618, July, 2005.     

Synthesis of fullerene C<Subscript>60</Subscript> monoadducts. Cyclopropanation of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> with sulfonium ylides

3′H-Cyclopropa[1,9](C₆₀-I_h)[5,6]fullerene-3′-carboxylic acid can be synthesized in a good yield by cyclopropanation of fullerene C₆₀ with 2-(dimethyl-λ⁴-sulfanylidene)acetates provided that the ester residue is readily hydrolyzable in acid medium.     

A comparative study of the radial distribution of hydrogen on C<Subscript>20</Subscript>, C<Subscript>19</Subscript>Si,and C<Subscript>19</Subscript>B cage fullerenes: a Monte Carlo simulation

The radial distribution of hydrogen on C_20(cage) and C₁₉Si_(cage), and C₁₉B_(cage) fullerene structures is investigated at different temperatures (273 K, 293 K, 320 K, and 400 K) for the pressure range between 1 MPa and 30 MPa using the (N,V,T) Monte Carlo simulation. The gravimetric storage capacity and radial distribution function parameters show that, under the identical temperature and pressure conditions, the magnitude of the hydrogen radial distribution on the C₁₉B surface is larger than that on C₁₉Si and C₂₀. The calculated maximum of the gravimetric storage capacity for C₁₉B at 273 K and 30 MPa is 7.6%.     

A theoretical study of the solvent effect on the interaction of C<Subscript>20</Subscript> and N<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>2</Subscript>

In this work, the interaction of C₂₀ and the N₂H₂ fragment is investigated at the M062X/6-311G(d,p) level of theory in both gas and solution phases. The interaction energies obtained by the standard method are corrected by the basis set superposition error (BSSE) during the geometry optimization for all molecules at the same levels of theory. The results obtained from these calculations reveal that the interaction between C₂₀ and N₂H₂ increases in the presence of more polar solvents. Values of the electrophilic charge transfer show the charge flow from C₂₀ to N₂H₂. The influence of the solvent on the hyperpolarizability indicates that β_tot values decrease on passing from vacuum to the solution phase.     

Direct phosphorylation of fullerene C<Subscript>60</Subscript> with phosphine

Fullerene C₆₀ reacts with phosphine (PH3) under free radical initiation conditions (azobis(isobutyronitrile), xylene, 65°C, 6–11 h) to give in the presence of air oxygen functional oligofullerenes (yield up to 32%) containing functional groups of phosphinic and phosphonic acids.     

The thermodynamic properties of the [(Me<Subscript>3</Subscript>Si)<Subscript>7</Subscript>C<Subscript>60</Subscript>]<Subscript>2</Subscript> fullerene complex

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity C _p ^o of the [(Me₃Si)₇C₆₀]₂ fullerene complex was measured for the first time using precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry over the temperature range 6.7–340 K and high-accuracy differential scanning calorimetry at 320–635 K. For the most part, the error in the C _p ^o values was about ±0.5%. An irreversible endothermic effect caused by the splitting of the dimeric bond between fullerene fragments and the thermal decomposition of the complex was observed at 448–570 K. The thermodynamic characteristics of this transformation were calculated and analyzed. Multifractal analysis of the low-temperature (T < 50 K) heat capacity was performed, and conclusions were drawn concerning the character of the heterodynamicity of the structure. The experimental data obtained were used to calculate the standard thermodynamic functions C _p ^o (T), H ^o (T) ? H ^o (0), S ^o (T) ? S ^o (0), and G ^o (T) ? H ^o (0) over the temperature range from T → 0 to 445 K and estimate the standard entropy of formation of the compound from simple substances at 298.15 K. The standard thermodynamic properties of [(Me₃Si)₇C₆₀]₂ are compared with those of the (C₆₀)₂ dimer, the [(η⁶-Ph₂)₂Cr]⁺[C₆₀]^?? fulleride, and the initial C₆₀ fullerene.     

The structural-phase state of C<Subscript>60</Subscript>-C<Subscript>70</Subscript> fullerene mixtures

The structural and phase state of the C₆₀-C₇₀ system at various C₆₀/C₇₀ ratios in mixtures obtained by the vaporization of solutions in toluene at ∼98°C was studied by X-ray structure analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy. Solid solutions based on the face-centered cubic packing of C₆₀ are not formed in the C₆₀-C₇₀ system at C₇₀ contents from 0.5 to 50 wt %. The hexagonal close packing of a solid solution of C₆₀ in C₇₀ can be formed as a result of the thermally activated decomposition of the ternary crystal solvate in the C₆₀-C₇₀-C₆H₅CH₃ system. The structural state of multiphase mixtures formed under conditions far from equilibrium is characterized by a high degree of structure imperfection and greater ability to undergo oxidation compared with C₆₀ and C₇₀.     

Gas-separating properties of membranes based on star-shaped fullerene (C<Subscript>60</Subscript>)-containing polystyrenes

Based on regular star-shaped PSs differing in the structure of the branching center (one or two covalently bound fullerene C₆₀ molecules) and in the number of branchings (6 and 12), homogeneous gas-separation membranes have been produced. The transport behavior of the membranes with respect to several gases, such as H₂, He₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄, has been studied by mass spectrometry. It has been found that the membranes prepared from six-arm PSs are characterized by a smaller density of macromolecular packing than the membranes obtained from 12-arm PCs and, consequently, they possess higher gas permeability. The starshaped PSs demonstrate a higher selectivity factor for separation of the O₂/N₂ gas pair compared to the corresponding characteristics of the linear PSs. The analysis of gas-separation characteristics by means of the Reitlinger-Robeson diagrams demonstrates that the transport behavior of star-shaped PSs qualitatively surpasses similar parameters of the known polymers in the separation of the CO/N₂ gas pair.     

The standard enthalpy of formation of fullerene chloride C<Subscript>60</Subscript>Cl<Subscript>30</Subscript>

A rotating-bomb calorimeter was used to measure the energy of combustion of crystalline fullerene chloride C₆₀Cl₃₀ · 0.09Cl₂, Δ_c U° = (?24474 ± 135 kJ/mol). The result was used to calculate the standard enthalpy of formation, Δ_f H° (C₆₀Cl₃₀, cr) = 135 ± 135 kJ/mol, and the C-Cl bond energy, 195 ± 5 kJ/mol. The C-X (X = F, F, Cl, and Br) bond energies in fullerene C₆₀ derivatives and other organic compounds are compared.     

Crystal structures and electronic properties of BaC<Subscript>2</Subscript> isomers by theoretical study based on DFT

Band structures and electronic properties of two BaC₂ isomers were calculated by using density functional theory (DFT) properly. The ionic bond features are all typical between cation (Ba) and anion clusters (C₂) in both structures of the isomers. However, a much stronger covalent bond exists in anion clusters which can be seen by inspecting the electron distribution contour that has a dull bell like shape between two carbon atoms. The shortest distance between Ba²⁺ and C₂²⁻ and the bond length in anion clusters are different in these isomers of BaC₂, which are 0.2945 nm and 0.1185 nm for the structure with the I4/mmm space group and 0.2744 and 0.1136 nm with the C2/c type, respectively. Band structures were clarified by combining the DOS to indicate the ionic bonding features more clearly. Population analysis provided further evidence on these ideas. Thermodynamical calculation results reveal that the transition temperature of these two polymorphs of BaC₂ locates near 132 K, which is consistent with the recent experimental results. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50361003) and the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan Province (Grant No. 2006003Z) and Science Innovation Foundation of Kunming University of Science and Technology     

Structural and electronic properties of XY-doped (AlN,AlP, GaN,GaP) C<Subscript>58</Subscript> fullerenes: a DFT study

Structural and electronic properties of C₆₀ fullerene nano-cages doped with GaP, GaN, AlP, and AlN were performed by density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP method and 6-31G** basis set. The results exhibit that AlP-doped fullerene has the most gap energy (2.383 eV), and the lowest one refers to GaN (2.283 eV), and there is not considerable difference in the range of gap energies. Therefore, it is clear that GaN has the most potential to translate electron. Hence, the use of GaN-doped fullerene in electronical devices could be more acceptable than those of AlN, AlP, and GaP. To examine the effect of the corresponding doping on the thermodynamic parameters of these systems, we have investigated parameters such as chemical potential, chemical hardness, electrophilicity, and the highest electronic charge transferred in the related structures.     

Covalent binding of fullerene C<Subscript>60</Subscript> to pharmacologically important compounds

The cycloaddition of diazo compounds derived from α-tocopherol, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, and Trolox methyl esters to fullerene C₆₀ in the presence of a Pd(acac)₂-PPh₃-Et₃Al catalytic system was performed. The reactions of the diazo compounds derived from the above-mentioned pharmacologically important compounds with fullerene C₆₀ in the presence of the Pd(acac)₂-PPh₃-Et₃Al system (1: 2: 4) afford predominantly the previously inaccessible pyrazolinofullerenes. A change in the component ratio of the Pd(acac)₂-PPh₃-Et₃Al catalyst from 1: 2: 4 to 1: 4: 4 favors the formation of methanofullerenes exclusively.     

Catalytic hydroamination of fullerene C<Subscript>60</Subscript> with primary and secondary amines

Catalytic 1,2-hydroamination of fullerene C₆₀ with primary and secondary amines in the presence of Ti, Zr, and Hf complexes gave the corresponding alkyl-, aryl-, and hetarylaminodihydrofullerenes.