C60F14OFPh3, a fluoroxy derivative of C60F15Ph3; evidence for the presence of ‘missing’ fluorine through restricted rotation of a phenyl group

From the reaction of C₆₀F₁₈ with benzene in the presence of SbCl₅ we have isolated a compound of 1252 amu indicated to be C₆₀F₁₄OFPh₃, a fluoroxyfullerene. Temperature-variable ¹H NMR shows that one phenyl group suffers restricted rotation on cooling to 218 K, attributed to the presence of the OF group which, as in the case of the recently characterised C₆₀F₁₇OF, fails to give a signal for this group in the ¹⁹F NMR. We have isolated also, C₆₀F₁₄O₂FPh₃ (1268 amu) a mixture of oxahomo derivatives of C₆₀F₁₄OFPh₃ arising from oxygen insertion into FCCF bonds. Theoretical calculations for C₆₀F₁₄OFPh₃ indicate that the phenyl group nearest to the OF group is twisted out of the plane containing the other two.