C64H4: production, isolation, and structural characterizations of a stable unconventional fulleride

Unconventional fullerenes are those smaller than C(60) or those intermediate between C(60) and C(70), which are not stable in structure as none of the unconventional fullerene isomers satisfying the "isolated-pentagon-rule" (IPR). Below we report the synthesis of a stable unconventional fullerene derivative C(64)H(4) by introducing methane in the fullerene productions with the normal Kr?tschmer-Huffman method. We also applied various spectroscopic measurements such as mass spectrometry, (13)C NMR, IR, UV-vis absorption spectrometry, etc. to characterize the structural and electronic properties of this molecule, revealing an unprecedented fullerene cage with a triplet of directly fused pentagons in the framework of C(64)H(4). Four hydrogen atoms are added to the carbons at vertexes of fused pentagons to allow the bond angles at these sites close to the sp(3) tetrahedral angle, which essentially release the sp(2) bond strains on the abutting-pentagon sites of C(64). Ab initio calculations were performed to explore the electronic property and simulate the (13)C NMR and IR spectra of this fulleride, which reproduced well the experimental results and confirmed the structural assignment of the C(64)H(4).     

Planar quinary cluster inside a fullerene cage: synthesis and structural characterizations of Sc(3)NC@C(80)-I(h)

The endohedral fullerene Sc(3)NC@C(80)-I(h) has been synthesized and characterized; it has an unprecedented planar quinary cluster in a fullerene cage. It is also the first chemical compound in which the presence of an unprecedented (NC)(3-) trianion has been disclosed. The fascinating intramolecular dynamics in Sc(3)NC@C(80)-I(h) enables the whole molecule to display high polarity and promising ferroelectricity. This finding inspires the possibility that such a planar quinary cluster may be useful in constructing many other endohedral fullerenes.     

Unprecedented mu4-C2(6-) anion in Sc4C2@C80

Metal carbide compound containing highly charged C2(q-) (q = 5, 6) moiety is rather scarce. We show by means of density functional calculations that an unprecedented mu4-C2(6-) anion can viably exist as an endohedral [Sc4C2]6+ cluster in the endofullerene Sc4C2@C80. The electronic structure, ionization energy, electron affinity, 13C NMR chemical shifts, vibrational frequencies, and electrochemical redox potentials of this unique endofullerene have been predicted to assist future experimental characterization.     

Dispersion of metallofullerene Y@C82 on bare, C60-modified, and iodine-modified Au(111) surfaces investigated with ECSTM

Two-dimensional (2D) assembling behaviors of the endohedral metallofullerene Y@C(82) on bare, C(60)-modified, and iodine-modified Au(111) surfaces have been investigated in 0.1 M HClO(4) solution employing electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). The results show that Y@C(82) molecules are mobile and aggregate to the terrace edges on bare and C(60)-modified Au(111) surfaces, but monodispersion of the Y@C(82) molecules is achieved on the iodine-modified Au(111) surface. The improvement of Y@C(82) dispersion on an iodine-modified gold surface is due to the strong Y@C(82)-substrate interactions. The modified-substrate method provides an effective strategy to disperse endohedral metallofullerenes.     

Fragmentation pathways of oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoids and their application in the qualitative analysis of Ganoderma lucidum by multistage tandem mass spectrometry

The fragmentation pathways of oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum were systematically studied based on interpreting the mass spectra of 44 known triterpenoids using a combination of multistage tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)) experiments and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis. In negative ion mode, the fragmentation pathways of triterpenoid acids are rather characteristic. After the prominent loss of H(2) O or CO(2), cleavages take place on the A, B, C and D rings. Interestingly, the cleavage mode is highly dependent on the positions of the carbonyl groups and hydroxyl groups in the tetracyclic skeleton. Characteristic cleavage of ring A occurs in 7-oxo-11-H or 7-oxo-11-hydroxy derivatives; characteristic cleavage of ring B occurs in the 7-oxo-11-hydroxy derivatives; characteristic cleavage of ring C occurs in the 7-hydroxy-15-oxo derivatives; while the cleavage of ring D can be observed in the majority of the compounds investigated. The odd-electron species, which disobey the 'even-electron rule', are also observed and discussed in this paper. These phenomena provide an easy way to determine the tetracyclic skeleton and distinguish the isomers of the triterpenoids from each other. What is more, the fragmentation pathways of triterpenoid alcohols were also investigated in positive ion mode. The accurate masses of the product ions were determined using quadrupole orthogonal time-of-flight (QTOF) instruments. Finally, the fragmentation rules were applied to identify the components of G. lucidum. As a result, 73 triterpenoids including 11 new ones were identified. The triterpenoids were classified into six subclasses according to their different fragmentation behaviors. The application of tandem mass spectrometry was further explored.     

钆基富勒烯磁共振成像分子影像探针的研究进展

含有顺磁性金属钆离子及钆团簇的内嵌金属富勒烯(如Gd@C82,Gd@C60和Gd3 N@C80)及其衍生物是一类高效的MRI分子影像探针,其造影效率远优于传统钆基螯合物造影剂.重要的是,碳笼的高度稳定性保护了内嵌团簇,使之免受体内代谢物质的进攻和防止了外泄,从而大大提高了其生物安全性.同时,碳笼还是其它生物活性物质或分子影像探针的有效载体,易赋予其多功能性,从而提高疾病检测的灵敏度和准确性.本文介绍了多种钆内嵌金属富勒烯分子影像探针的研究进展,讨论了内嵌金属团簇和笼外化学修饰对其弛豫性能的影响,以及不同的功能基团对其生物相容性和动物体内分布的影响,并展望了其兼具多功能分子影像探针载体的应用前景.     

基于Gelius模型计算的C60和C70的紫外光电子能谱

在B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)水平上对两种富勒烯C₆₀和C₇₀进行了构型优化. 在此基础上,并基于Gelius模型, 计算了这两种富勒烯的紫外光电子能谱曲线. 理论计算的曲线同实验曲线符合的很好.此外, 从理论曲线并结合量子化学计算的结果, 可以看到, C₇₀分子上不同化学环境的的碳原子对紫外光电子能谱曲线的贡献是不同的.     

Fullerene self-assembly and supramolecular nanostructures

This review presents a summary of the recent research progresses on fullerene self-assembly and supramolecular nanostructures. Fullerene nanospheres, one-dimensional nanowires/nanotubes, and two-dimensional layers were studied with various microscopic techniques such as the scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, and the transmission electron microscopy etc. It was revealed that the fullerene self-assembling structures were determined by both the fullerene intermolecular interactions and the fullerene–substrate interaction, therefore, different fullerene supramolecular nanostructures and morphologies could be obtained through controlling experimental conditions, e.g., the chemical modification of fullerenes by different chemical groups, the treatment of substrates, or the adopting of solvents etc.     

Fluvio-mechanical resetting of the Al and Ti centres in quartz

ESR dating of fluvial terraces is usually based on the assumption of sunlight resetting of the Al centres in quartz. Very long bleaching times (months of sunlight exposure) are required to reset this centre to a stable, non-zero ESR intensity. Considering that highly light sensitive optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analyses of fluvial samples often indicate partial bleaching, ESR dating should be extremely difficult. Two samples were analysed, a fluvial sediment from a Chinese river terrace and an Australian granite. Using a Höhnle sunlight simulator, the Ti centres of both samples were completely bleached within 1 to 65 h, while the Al centre required extreme bleaching times to reach stable residual intensities (∼1000 h). As an alternative to light resetting, tumbler experiments were carried out to simulate fluvial action. The samples were treated under OSL sample preparation conditions. After relatively short tumbling times, corresponding to a few km of fluvial transport, both Al- and Ti-centres were partially reset. In a granite sample, the tumbling reduced the intensity of the Al centre more effectively than light exposure.