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Materials science

A stable non-classical metallofullerene family

Nature volume 408, pages 427–428 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

In the evolving field of fullerenes, nanotubes and endohedral metallofullerenes, the isolated-pentagon rule (IPR)1 is sacrosanct — exceptions have been predicted2,3, but no bare carbon cages with adjacent pentagons have been characterized. Small organic molecules with metal-stabilized fused five-membered rings (pentalenes) have been created4, however, and here we describe a family of non-classical endohedral metallofullerenes with the general structure AxSc3−xN@C68 (where x = 0–2, A is a rare-earth metal, Sc is scandium and N is nitrogen) that has a non-IPR cage of only 68 carbon atoms containing annelated five-membered rings. This internal ring network is metal-stabilized and is accessible for external organic reaction chemistry.

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Figure 1: Mass-spectral data for purified Sc3N@C68 and ErSc2@C68.
Figure 2: Three-fold symmetry isomers of C68 and proposed Sc3N@C68 structure (isomer 6,140).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, 24061, Virginia, USA

    S. Stevenson, G. Rice, T. Glass, K. Harich & H. C. Dorn

  2. School of Chemistry, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD , UK

    P. W. Fowler

  3. Dipartimento di Chemica 'G. Ciamician' Università di Bologna, via Selmi 2, Bologna , I-40126, Italy

    T. Heine

  4. Department of Chemistry, Emory and Henry College, Emory, 24327-0943, Virginia, USA

    J. C. Duchamp

  5. Searle, 4901 Searle Parkway, Skokie, Illinois, 60077, USA

    E. Hajdu & R. Bible

Authors
  1. S. Stevenson
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  2. P. W. Fowler
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  3. T. Heine
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  4. J. C. Duchamp
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  5. G. Rice
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  6. T. Glass
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  7. K. Harich
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  9. R. Bible
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  10. H. C. Dorn
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Correspondence to H. C. Dorn.

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Stevenson, S., Fowler, P., Heine, T. et al. A stable non-classical metallofullerene family. Nature 408, 427–428 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35044199

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