Electrochemistry of Fullerenes and Their Derivatives

Applications of voltammetry and electrosynthesis in the chemistry of fullerenes and their derivatives are considered. Effect of structural factors and environment on the reduction potentials of fullerenes and stability of their anion intermediates are analyzed. Emphasis is laid on the reduction of phosphorylated methanofullerenes.     

Electrochemical reactions of indolysines

In the review, we generalize the results of studies on electrochemical oxidation of indolysines, biindolysines, bisindolysines, and bisindolysine podands, which contain two quinoxaline and various numbers of oxaethylene and methylene groups in spacer, with the formation of various products of dehydrocoupling of generating radical cations, namely: redox-active conducting polyindolysine surface films or heterocyclophanes, according to electrochemical oxidation of heterocyclophanes, and a voltage-amperometric study of binding of single-, double, and triple-charged metal ions by them and their precursors.     

Electroreduction of Phthalazines and 1,2,5-Thiadiazoles: Structural Factors Determining the Opening of Heterocycle

Electrochemical reduction of phthalazines and 1,2,5-thiadiazoles containing nucleofugaceous groups at the carbon -atoms are studied in aprotic and proton-donating media. Heteroatoms, substituents, and media are found to affect potentials and reaction path for the electroreduction. The factors determining the reductive opening of heterocycles are revealed. In diazines the heterocycle opening in annelated systems is induced by the electron transfer, provided there exist (a) a heteroatom–heteroatom bond and (b) an easily splitting-off group at the carbon -atom, whose nucleofugacity is comparable with or exceeds that of the chloride ion. Stability of the 1,2,5-thiadiazole cycle toward its reduction is determined by the substituent and the medium nature. On adding a nucleofugaceous group to the molecule, the transfer of two electrons in an aprotic medium results in the heterocycle opening with the formation of iminonitrile; when two easily splitting-off groups are present, the electron transfer makes the cycle decompose into inorganic anions.     

Surface films obtained by electrochemical oxidation of 1,11-bis(3-indolizinin-2-ylquinoxalin-2-on-1-yl)-3,6,9-trioxyundecane

Electrochemical oxidation of 1,11-bis(3-indolizinin-2-ylquinoxalin-2-on-1-yl)-3,6,9-trioxyundecane in 0.1 M Et₄NClO₄ in MeCN on a glassy-carbon electrode leads to surface films of two types depending on the film formation mode. Oxidation at controlled first-peak potentials (E _p ¹ = 0.30 V relative to Fc/Fc⁺) or in the range of potentials ?0.60 → +0.40 → ?0.60 V, ?0.60 → +0.40 → ?1.60 → ?0.60 V in the polycycling mode forms a redox-active film that covers the entire surface of the electrode. The quinoxaline fragments of the film are reduced irreversibly in the supporting solution, while the indolizine fragments are reduced reversibly, forming stable radical cation states; the latter are recorded by ESR in the form of a singlet with a variable width (g = 2.0025, ΔH = 0.15?0.5 mT). The oxidized (radical cation) form of the film is conductive, while the neutral film is not. An insulating film is obtained when oxidation is performed under rigid conditions (?0.60 → +1.70 → ?1.70 → ?0.60 V). Both types of film are colored and have nanosized pores (channels), which can play a discriminant role. It is demonstrated (using the discriminant role of pores) that small molecules may be selectively reduced on film-coated electrodes in the presence of bulkier and more reactive substrates.     

Photophysical and electrochemical properties of the outer-sphere associate of [Ru(bipy)<Subscript>3</Subscript>]<Superscript>2+</Superscript> with <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-sulfonatothiacalix[4]arene

¹H NMR titration and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that [Ru(bipy)₃]²⁺ forms an outer-sphere inclusion complex with p-sulfonatothiacalix[4]arene in a ratio of 1: 1 in both aqueous solutions and the solid state. According to cyclic voltammograms and fluorimetric data, the outer-sphere association of [Ru(bipy)₃]²⁺ with p-sulfonatothiacalix[4]arene changes the reversible character of the electrochemical oxidation of [Ru(bipy)₃]²⁺ and lowers its emission intensity. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1863–1870, September, 2008.     

Redox-switchable binding of the Mg2+ ions by 21,31-diphenyl-12,42-dioxo-7,10,13-trioxa-1,4(3,1)-diquinoxaline-2(2,3),3(3,2)-diindolysine-cyclopentadecaphane

The binding of the Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Co²⁺ ions by 2¹,3¹-diphenyl-1²,4²-dioxo-7,10,13-trioxa-1,4(3,1)-diquinoxaline-2(2,3),3(3,2)-diindolysine-cyclopentadecaphane containing two indolysine fragments, two quinoxaline fragments, and 3,6,9-trioxyundecane spacer in the acetonitrile/0.1 M Bu₄NBF₄ environment is studied by the method of cyclic voltammetry. It is demonstrated that the Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Co²⁺ ions are not bound by this macrocycle, whereas selective redox-switchable binding is observed for the Mg²⁺ ions. The macrocycle binds the Mg²⁺ ions way more efficiently as compared with its radical cation and dication. The indolysinequinoxaline fragments play the determining role in the binding. Original Russian Text ? V.V. Yanilkin, N.V. Nastapova, V.A. Mamedov, A.A. Kalinin, V.P. Gubskaya, 2007, published in Elektrokhimiya, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 7, pp. 808–814.     

Single-electron oxidation and nucleophilicity of aminomethylated calix[4]resorcinarenes

The electrochemical oxidation of a number of aminomethylated calix[4]resorcinarenes (AMC) with different substituents at the nitrogen atom and the kinetics of nucleophilic substitution reactions of these compounds with p-nitrophenyl bis(chloromethyl)phosphinate were studied. The reactivity of the ionic associates of AMC in the nucleophilic substitution and the behavior of AMC in electrooxidation are determined by the same factors, namely, the amino-group basicity and the nature of the substituents at the nitrogen atom. These factors influence the ratio of the zwitter-ionic and anionic forms of AMC.     

Voltammetric study of metal ions binding by biindolizine heterocyclophanes and their acyclic analogues

The binding of ions Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, (group I), Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, Ga³⁺ (group II), Ca²⁺, Pb²⁺ (group III) ions, Ba²⁺ and paraquat by heterocyclophanes containing biindolizine and quinoxaline fragments connected by 3,6,9-trioxaundecane and 5,8,11,14,17-pentaoxageneicosane spacers, and also their acyclic analogues, in the acetonitrile-0.1 M Bu₄NBF₄ is studied by cyclic voltammetry. A conclusion is drawn that the ions of the group I are not bound by these compounds; the paraquat is not bound by heterocyclophane with the 5,8,11,14,17-pentaoxageneicosan spacers. For ions of the group II, reversible redox-switchable binding by the macrocycles with the 3,6,9-trioxaundecane and 5,8,11,14,17-pentaoxageneicosan spacers is observed: the initial compounds show the binding; their radical cations and dications do not. The binding of the ions of the group III and Ba²⁺ is determined by the macrocycles’ size. In particular, these ions are bound not only by the heterocyclophane with 3,6,9-trioxaundecane spacers but also by its radical cation or dication. The binding results in the corresponding dication stabilization. The heterocyclophane with the 5,8,11,14,17-pentaoxageneicosan spacers demonstrates the redox-switchable binding of Ca²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions; no effect of Ba²⁺ ions on the cyclic voltammograms of this heterocyclophane was observed. In the ternary system “heterocyclophane with 3,6,9-trioxaundecane spacers + ions of the group II (Al³⁺, Ga³⁺) + ions of the group III (Ca²⁺, Pb²⁺)” either primary binding of the group III ion Pb2+ or concurrent binding of the ions of the group II and the group III, with the system’s reversible redox-switching from one metal complex to another, was observed.     

Methylviologen-mediated electrochemical synthesis of platinum nanoparticles in solution bulk

Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) are synthesized by methylviologen-mediated reduction of PtCl₂ at the potentials of the MV²⁺/MV^?+ redox couple in 40% aqueous DMF solution. In the absence of stabilizing agents and in the presence of a stabilizer in the form of spherical silica NPs or alkylamine-modified silica NPs (SiO₂-NHR), a part of PtNPs (14–18%) are deposited on the electrode while the rest of particles remain in solution to form coarse aggregates which precipitate. In the latter case, PtNPs are also partly bound to form individual ultrafine NPs (3 ± 2 nm) on the SiO₂-NHR surface. In the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the generated PtNPs (18 ± 9 nm) neither aggregate nor deposit on the cathode but are completely stabilized in solution being encapsulated within the PVP matrix. The obtained PtNPs are characterized by the methods of dynamic light-scattering and electron microscopy.