The Most Stable Isomers of Giant Fullerenes C102 and C104 Captured as Chlorides,C102(603)Cl18/20 and C104(234)Cl16/18/20/22

The chlorination of HPLC fractions with pristine giant fullerenes, C₁₀₂ and C₁₀₄, followed by X‐ray crystallographic study of chlorides, C₁₀₂(603)Cl_18/20 and C₁₀₄(234)Cl_16–22, confirmed the presence of the most stable IPR (IPR=Isolated Pentagon Rule) isomers, C₁₀₂(603) and C₁₀₄(234), in the fullerene soot. The discussion concerns the chlorination patterns of polychlorides and relative stability of pristine isomers of C₁₀₂ and C₁₀₄ fullerenes.     

The First Experimentally Confirmed Isolated Pentagon Rule (IPR) Isomers of Higher Fullerene C98 Captured as Chlorides,C98(248)Cl22 and C98(116)Cl20

High‐temperature chlorination of pristine C₉₈ fullerene isomers separated by HPLC from the fullerene soot afforded crystals of C₉₈Cl₂₂ and C₉₈Cl₂₀. An X‐ray structure elucidation revealed, respectively, the presence of carbon cages of the most stable C₂‐C₉₈(248) and rather unstable C₁‐C₉₈(116), which represent the first isolated pentagon rule (IPR) isomers of fullerene C₉₈ confirmed experimentally. The chlorination patterns of the chlorides are discussed in terms of the formation of isolated C=C bonds and aromatic substructures on the fullerene cages.     

Unusual Chlorination Patterns of Three IPR Isomers of C88 Fullerene in C88(7)Cl12/24, C88(17)Cl22, and C88(33)Cl12/14

High‐temperature chlorination of three IPR isomers of fullerene C₈₈, C₂‐C₈₈(7), C_s‐C₈₈(17), and C₂‐C₈₈(33), resulted in the isolation and X‐ray structural characterization of C₈₈(7)Cl₁₂, C₈₈(7)Cl₂₄, C₈₈(17)Cl₂₂, and C₈₈(33)Cl_12/14. Chlorination patterns of C₈₈(7) and C₈₈(33) isomers are unusual in that one or more pentagons remain free from chlorination while some other pentagons are occupied by two or three Cl atoms. The addition patterns of the isolated chlorides are discussed in terms of the distribution of twelve pentagons on the carbon cages and the formation of stabilizing isolated C=C bonds and benzenoid rings.     

Structures of Chlorinated Fullerenes,IPR C96Cl20 and Non‐classical C94Cl28 and C92Cl32: Evidence of the Existence of Three New Isomers of C96

Chlorination of various HPLC fractions of C₉₆ with a mixture of VCl₄ and SbCl₅ at 340–360 °C and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction study of the products led to the identification of three new IPR isomers of C₉₆. The C₉₆(175) isomer forms a stable chloride, C₉₆(175)Cl₂₀, while chlorides of two other new isomers, C₉₆(114) and C₉₆(80), undergo cage shrinkage yielding C₉₄(NC1)Cl₂₈ and C₉₆(NC2)Cl₃₂ with non‐classical (NC) cages. These two NC chlorides contain, respectively, one and two heptagons flanked by pairs of fused pentagons and are stabilized by chlorine attachment to the emerging pentagon–pentagon junctions. Thus, the number of the experimentally confirmed C₉₆ isomers has reached nine, which corroborates the empirical rule that the C_6n fullerenes exhibit particularly rich isomerism.     

Chlorination of Two Isomers of C86 Fullerene: Molecular Structures of C86(16)Cl16, C86(17)Cl18, C86(17)Cl20, and C86(17)Cl22

Chlorination of a mixture of C₈₆ isomers no. 16 (C_s) and no. 17 (C₂) with VCl₄ or a (TiCl₄+Br₂) mixture afforded crystalline chlorides with 16 to 22 Cl atoms per fullerene cage. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction with the use of synchrotron radiation enabled us to determine the chlorination patterns of C₈₆(16)Cl₁₆, C₈₆(17)Cl₁₈, C₈₆(17)Cl₂₀, and C₈₆(17)Cl₂₂. At these degrees of chlorination, addition patterns of C₈₆(16) and C₈₆(17) chlorides have some features in common, owing to the close similarity in the cage structures of both isomers. The average energy of C?Cl bonds decreases with increasing number of attached Cl atoms.     

Unstable Isomer of C90 Fullerene Isolated as Chloro Derivatives,C90(1)Cl10/12

High‐temperature chlorination of C₉₀‐containing fullerene fraction resulted in the isolation and X‐ray structural characterization of C₉₀(1)Cl_10/12, the first derivatives of a relatively unstable isomer D_5h‐C₉₀(1) with a nanotubular shape. In the crystal structure, three isomers of both C₉₀(1)Cl₁₀ and C₉₀(1)Cl₁₂ with similar chlorination patterns co‐crystallize in the same crystallographic site. Thus, in contrast to the previous reports, D_5h‐C₉₀(1) is present, though with a low abundance, in the fullerene soot produced by arc‐discharge method with undoped graphite rods.     

New Isolated‐Pentagon‐Rule and Skeletally Transformed Isomers of C100 Fullerene Identified by Structure Elucidation of their Chloro Derivatives

High‐temperature chlorination of C₁₀₀ fullerene followed by X‐ray structure determination of the chloro derivatives enabled the identification of three isomers of C₁₀₀ from the fullerene soot, specifically numbers 18, 425, and 417, which obey the isolated pentagon rule (IPR). Among them, isomers C₁‐C₁₀₀(425) and C₂‐C₁₀₀(18) afforded C₁‐C₁₀₀(425)Cl₂₂ and C₂‐C₁₀₀(18)Cl_28/30 compounds, respectively, which retain their IPR cage connectivities. In contrast, isomer C_2v‐C₁₀₀(417) gives C_s‐C₁₀₀(417)Cl₂₈ which undergoes a skeletal transformation by the loss of a C₂ fragment, resulting in the formation of a nonclassical (NC) C₁‐C₉₈(NC)Cl₂₆ with a heptagon in the carbon cage. Most probably, two nonclassical C₁‐C₁₀₀(NC)Cl_18/22 chloro derivatives originate from the IPR isomer C₁‐C₁₀₀(382), although both C₁‐C₁₀₀(344) and even nonclassical C₁‐C₁₀₀(NC) can be also considered as the starting isomers.     

Chlorination of IPR C100 Fullerene Affords Unconventional C96Cl20 with a Nonclassical Cage Containing Three Heptagons

Chlorination of C₁₀₀ fullerene with a mixture of VCl₄ and SbCl₅ afforded C₉₆Cl₂₀ with a strongly unconventional structure. In contrast to the classical fullerenes containing only hexagonal and pentagonal rings, the C₉₆ cage contains three heptagonal rings and, therefore, should be classified as a fullerene with a nonclassical cage (NCC). There are several types of pentagon fusions in the C₉₆ cage including pentagon pairs and pentagon triples. The three‐step pathway from isolated‐pentagon‐rule (IPR) C₁₀₀ to C₉₆(NCC‐3hp) includes two C₂ losses, which create two cage heptagons, and one Stone–Wales rotation under formation of the third heptagon. Structural reconstruction established C₁₀₀ isomer no. 18 from 450 topologically possible IPR isomers as the starting C₁₀₀ fullerene. Until now, no pristine C₁₀₀ isomers have been confirmed based on the experimental results.     

Chlorination‐promoted Transformation of Isolated Pentagon Rule C78 into Fused‐pentagons‐ and Heptagons‐containing Fullerenes

Cage transformations in fullerenes are rare phenomena which are still not fully understood. We report the first skeletal transformation of an Isolated‐Pentagon‐Rule (IPR) isomer of C₇₈ fullerene upon high‐temperature chlorination which proceeds by six‐step Stone–Wales rearrangements affording non‐IPR, non‐classical (NC ) C₇₈(NC 2)Cl₂₄ with two cage heptagons, six pairs of fused pentagons, and an unprecedented loop‐like chlorination pattern. The following loss of a C₂ unit results in C₇₆(NC 3)Cl₂₄ containing three cage heptagons.     

Chlorination‐Promoted Skeletal‐Cage Transformations of C88 Fullerene by C2 Losses and a CC Bond Rotation

High‐temperature chlorination of fullerene C₈₈ (isomer 33) with VCl₄ gives rise to skeletal transformations affording several nonclassical (NC) fullerene chlorides, C₈₆(NC1)Cl_24/26 and C₈₄(NC2)Cl₂₆, with one and two heptagons, respectively, in the carbon cages. The branched skeletal transformation including C₂ losses as well as a Stone–Wales rearrangement has been comprehensively characterized by the structure determination of two intermediates and three final chlorination products. Quantum‐chemical calculations demonstrate that the average energy of the C?Cl bond is significantly increased in chlorides of nonclassical fullerenes with a large number of chlorinated sites of pentagon–pentagon adjacency.     

La2@Cs(17 490)‐C76: A New Non‐IPR Dimetallic Metallofullerene Featuring Unexpectedly Weak Metal–Pentalene Interactions

Although all the pure‐carbon fullerene isomers above C₆₀ reported to date comply with the isolated pentagon rule (IPR), non‐IPR structures, which are expected to have different properties from those of IPR species, are obtainable either by exohedral modification or by endohedral atom doping. This report describes the isolation and characterization of a new endohedral metallofullerene (EMF), La₂@C₇₆, which has a non‐IPR fullerene cage. The X‐ray crystallographic result for the La₂@C₇₆/[Ni^II(OEP)] (OEP=octaethylporphyrin) cocrystal unambiguously elucidated the C_s(17 490)‐C₇₆ cage structure, which contains two adjacent pentagon pairs. Surprisingly, multiple metal sites were distinguished from the X‐ray data, which implies dynamic behavior for the two La³⁺ cations inside the cage. This dynamic behavior was also corroborated by variable‐temperature ¹³⁹ La NMR spectroscopy. This phenomenon conflicts with the widely accepted idea that the metal cations in non‐IPR EMFs invariably coordinate strongly with the negatively charged fused‐pentagon carbons, thereby providing new insights into modern coordination chemistry. Furthermore, our electrochemical and computational studies reveal that La₂@C_s(17 490)‐C₇₆ has a larger HOMO–LUMO gap than other dilanthanum‐EMFs with IPR cage structures, such as La₂@D_3h(5)‐C₇₈ and La₂@I_h(7)‐C₈₀, which implies that IPR is no longer a strict rule for EMFs.     

Capturing C90 Isomers as CF3 Derivatives: C90(30)(CF3)14, C90(35)(CF3)16/18, and C90(45)(CF3)16/18

High‐temperature trifluoromethylation of a C₉₀ isomeric mixture with CF₃I followed by HPLC separation of C₉₀(CF₃)_n isomers resulted in the isolation of several individual C₉₀(CF₃)_14?18 compounds. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction with the use of synchrotron radiation resulted in the structure determination of C₉₀(30)(CF₃)₁₄, C₉₀(35)(CF₃)_16/18, and C₉₀(45)(CF₃)_16/18. Their addition patterns are discussed and compared with the known isomers C₉₀(30)(CF₃)₁₈ and C₉₀(35)(CF₃)₁₄, respectively. The presence of the most stable C₉₀ isomer, C₉₀(45), in the fullerene soot has been confirmed for the first time.     

Chlorination‐Promoted Cage Transformation of IPR C92 Discovered via Trifluoromethylation under Formation of Non‐classical C92(NC)(CF3)22

High‐temperature trifluoromethylation of isolated‐pentagon‐rule (IPR) fullerene C₉₂ chlorination products followed by HPLC separation of C₉₂(CF₃)_n derivatives resulted in the isolation and X‐ray structural characterization of IPR C₉₂(38)(CF₃)₁₈ and non‐classical C₉₂(NC)(CF₃)₂₂. The formation of C₉₂(38)(CF₃)₁₈ as the highest CF₃ derivative of the known isomer C₉₂(38) can be expected. The formation of C₉₂(NC)(CF₃)₂₂ was interpreted as chlorination‐promoted cage transformation of C₉₂(38) followed by trifluoromethylation of non‐classical C₉₂(NC) chloride. Noticeably, C₉₂(NC)(CF₃)₂₂ shows the highest degree of trifluoromethylation among all known CF₃ derivatives of fullerenes. The addition patterns of C₉₂(38)(CF₃)₁₈ and C₉₂(NC)(CF₃)₂₂ are discussed and compared to the chlorination patterns of C₉₂(38)Cl_n compounds.     

C100 is Converted into C94Cl22 by Three Chlorination‐Promoted C2 Losses under Formation and Elimination of Cage Heptagons

Chlorination of the C₁₀₀(18) fullerene with a mixture of VCl₄ and SbCl₅ gives rise to branched skeletal transformations affording non‐classical (NC) C₉₄(NC1)Cl₂₂ with one heptagon in the carbon cage together with the previously reported C₉₆(NC3)Cl₂₀ with three heptagons. The three‐step pathway to C₉₄(NC1)Cl₂₂ starts with two successive C₂ losses of 5:6 C?C bonds to give two cage heptagons, whereas the third C₂ loss of the 5:5 C?C bond from a pentalene fragment eliminates one of the heptagons. Quantum‐chemical calculations demonstrate that the two unusual skeletal transformations—creation of a heptagon in C₉₆(NC3)Cl₂₀ through a Stone–Wales rearrangement and the presently reported elimination of a heptagon through C₂ loss—are both characterized by relatively low activation energy.     

Dimetallic sulfide endohedral metallofullerene Sc2S@C76: Density functional theory characterization

In terms of density functional theory combined with statistic mechanics computations, we investigated a dimetallic sulfide endohedral fullerene Sc₂S@C₇₆ which has been synthesized without any characterization in experiments. Our theoretical study reveals that Sc₂S@T_d(19151)‐C₇₆ which satisfies the isolated‐pentagon rule (IPR) possesses the lowest energy, followed by three non‐IPR structures (Sc₂S@C_2v(19138)‐C₇₆, Sc₂S@C_s (17490)‐C₇₆, and Sc₂S@C₁(17459)‐C₇₆). To clarify the relative stabilities of those isomers at high temperatures, enthalpy–entropy interplay has been taken into consideration. Calculation results indicate that three species Sc₂S@T_d(19151)‐C₇₆, Sc₂S@C_2v(19138)‐C₇₆, and Sc₂S@C₁(17459)‐C₇₆ have noticeable molar fractions at the fullerene‐formation temperature region (500–3000K), and the Sc₂S@C₁(17459)‐C₇₆ with one pentagon pair becomes the most predominant isomer above 1800 K, suggesting that the unexpected non‐IPR structure is thermodynamically favorable at elevated temperatures. In addition, the structural characteristics, electron features, UV‐vis‐NIR adsorptions, and ¹³C NMR spectra of those three stable structures are introduced to assist experimental identification and characterization in future. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

C68 Fullerene Isomers,Anions, and their Metallofullerenes: Charge‐Stabilizing Different Isomers

The complete set of 6332 classical isomers of the fullerene C₆₈ as well as several non‐classical isomers is investigated by PM3, and the data for some of the more stable isomers are refined by the DFT‐based methods HCTH and B3LYP. C₂:0112 possesses the lowest energy of all the neutral isomers and it prevails in a wide range of temperatures. Among the fullerene ions modeled, C₆₈^2?, C₆₈^4? and C₆₈^6?, the isomers C₆₈^2?(C_s:0064), C₆₈^4?(C_2v:0008), and C₆₈^6?(D₃:0009) respectively, are predicted to be the most stable. This reveals that the pentagon adjacency penalty rule (PAPR) does not necessarily apply to the charged fullerene cages. The vertical electron affinities of the neutral C_s:0064, C_2v:0008, and D₃:0009 isomers are 3.41, 3.29, and 3.10 eV, respectively, suggesting that they are good electron acceptors. The predicted complexation energy, that is, the adiabatic binding energy between the cage and encapsulated cluster, of Sc₂C₂@C₆₈(C_2v:0008) is ?6.95 eV, thus greatly releasing the strain of its parent fullerene (C_2v:0008). Essentially, C₆₈ fullerene isomers are charge‐stabilized. Thus, inducing charge facilitates the isolation of the different isomers. Further investigations show that the steric effect of the encaged cluster should also be an important factor to stabilize the C₆₈ fullerenes effectively.     

Synthesis,Structure, and Theoretical Study of Trifluoromethyl Derivatives of C84(22) Fullerene

Trifluoromethylation of higher fullerene mixtures with CF₃I was performed in ampoules at 400 to 420 and 550 to 560 °C. HPLC separation followed by crystal growth and X‐ray diffraction studies allowed the structure elucidation of nine CF₃ derivatives of D₂‐C₈₄ (isomer 22). Molecular structures of two isomers of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₁₂, two isomers of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₁₄, four isomers of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₁₆, and one isomer of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₂₀ were discussed in terms of their addition patterns and relative formation energies. DFT calculations were also used to predict the most stable molecular structures of lower CF₃ derivatives, C₈₄(22)(CF₃)_2–10. It was found that the addition of CF₃ groups to C₈₄(22) is governed by two rules: additions can only occur at para positions of C₆(CF₃)₂ hexagons and no additions can occur at triple‐hexagon‐junction positions on the fullerene cage.     

Isolated pentagon rule violating endohedral metallofullerenes explained using the Hückel rule: A statistical mechanical study of the C84 Isomeric Set

Fullerenes and their structure and stability have been a major topic of discussion and research since their discovery nearly 30 years ago. The isolated pentagon rule (IPR) has long served as a guideline for predicting the most stable fullerene cages. More recently, endohedral metallofullerenes have been discovered that violate the IPR. This article presents a systematic, temperature dependent, statistical thermodynamic study of the 24 possible IPR isomers of C₈₄ as well as two of the experimentally known non‐IPR isomers (51365 and 51383), at several different charges (0, ?2, ?4, and ?6). From the results of this study, we conclude that the Hückel rule is a valid simpler explanation for the stability of fused pentagons in endohedral metallofullerenes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An Isomer of C60Cl10 Free of Skew‐Pentagonal‐Pyramidal C60Cl6 Substructure

Chlorination is an effective approach for understanding the feature of multiple additions on fullerene cages. The chlorofullerenes obtained are versatile synthons for further derivatization. However, chlorofullerenes used for chemical reaction studies are mainly based on the skew‐pentagonal‐pyramidal (SPP) C₆₀Cl₆. In this work, a new isomer of C₆₀Cl₁₀ that does not contain an SPP‐C₆₀Cl₆ substructure was identified. Its electrochemical properties give it unexpected cyclic voltammetric behavior at more negative potentials relative to other chlorofullerenes. Friedel–Crafts arylation shows good reactivity of this compound. These new findings challenge opinions of fullerene addition patterns and will break the monopoly of C₆₀Cl₆ as a precursor for fullerene modifications.     

Capturing the Most‐Stable C56 Fullerene Cage by In Situ Chlorination

The most‐stable ^#916C₅₆ carbon cage has been captured by in situ chlorination during the radio frequency furnace process. The resulting exohedral ^#916C₅₆Cl₁₂ was separated and unambiguously characterized by single crystal X‐ray structure determination. The discovery of ^#916C₅₆ provides evidence for a thermodynamically controlled mechanism of fullerene formation, and on the other hand shows that the in situ chlorination does not remarkably influence the fullerene formation itself but just results in the capture of preformed cages. A detailed analysis of the chlorination pattern of ^#916C₅₆Cl₁₂ reveals the main factors controlling the reactivity of non‐IPR fullerenes. A high degree of aromatization was observed in the remaining π‐system by considering geometric criteria and nucleus‐independent chemical‐shift analysis (NICS). Along with the well‐known stabilization of pentagon pentagon junctions during chlorination, the formation of aromatic islands plays an important role in the stabilization of the fullerene cage and also in the determination of the chlorination pattern. Based on these empirical rules, the preferable addition patterns for non‐IPR fullerene cages can be easily predicted.