Combustion synthesis and electrochemical properties of the small hydrofullerene C50H10

The hydrofullerene C(50)H(10) is synthesized by low-pressure benzene-oxygen diffusion combustion. The structure of C(50)H(10) is identified through NMR, mass spectrometry, and IR and Raman spectroscopy as a D(5h) symmetric closed-cage molecule with five pairs of fused pentagons stabilized by ten hydrogen atoms. UV/Vis and fluorescence spectrometric analyses disclose its optical properties as comparable with those of its chloride cousin (C(50)Cl(10)). Cyclic and square-wave voltammograms reveal that the first reduction potential of C(50)H(10) is more negative than that of C(50)Cl(10) as well as C(60), with implications for the utilization of C(50)H(10) as a promising electron acceptor for photovoltaic applications.