An epilogue on the C78-fullerene family: The discovery and characterization of an elusive isomer

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200801922

(Figure Presented) Missing relative found: The last representative of the first multi membered fullerene family, C₇₈(4), has been synthesized and isolated. Its connectivity pattern was confirmed by a single-crystal X-ray analysis of its chlorinated derivative C₇₈(4)Cl₁₈ (see picture). The crystal structure also reveals the presence of unusual, short intermolecular chlorine contacts.

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.200801922

Angewandte
Chemie
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200801922
Fullerenes
An Epilogue on the C78-Fullerene Family: The Discovery and
Characterization of an Elusive Isomer**
Kalin S. Simeonov, Konstantin Yu. Amsharov, Evangelos Krokos, and Martin Jansen*
Among the higher fullerenes—closed carbon clusters with
even numbers of atoms greater than 70—C78 has been a
subject of many experimental, as well as theoretical inves-
tigations.According to the isolated pentagon rule (IPR), five
isomers with different connectivities are possible for a cage
constituted of 78 carbon atoms.[1] The first three representa-
tives of this family—C78(1) (with D3 point group symmetry),
C78(2) and C78(3) (both with C2v symmetry), have been found
in soot extracts, isolated by means of HPLC techniques,[2] and
characterized either crystallographically,[3] or by 13C NMR
analyses.[4] The next known stable, but insoluble isomer is
C78(5) (D3h), the connectivity pattern of which was recently
confirmed through its derivative C78(CF3)12.[5] Thus, the only
unexplored member of this family, C78(4) (D3h), is needed to
complete the first multi membered group of fullerene isomers.
Although C78(4) is predicted to be the least stable among all
IPR C78 isomers across a wide temperature interval,[6] a fact
justifying its absence in fullerene extracts,[6,7] its energy per
carbon atom is comparable to that of C70.[7] According to a
Fullerene soot containing pristine C78(4) was obtained by
means of the RF (radio frequency)-furnace method, employ-
ing conditions different from those reported in the litera-
ture.[11] HPLC analysis of the resulting extract showed an
uncommon peak at the tail of C78(3) fraction, as displayed in
Figure 1.(A comparison between chromatograms corre-
calculation performed at the DFT (desity functional theory)
[8]
level,
C78(4) possesses a large energy gap between the
highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest
unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of 2.47 eV, which is
comparable to those of C70 (2.69 eV) and C60 (2.76 eV).[7]
Since the insolubility of fullerenes has been attributed to
polymerization due to low or zero HOMO–LUMO gaps,[9]
C78(4) is presumably soluble.Kinetic factors were evoked to
explain why this isomer has not been experimentally observed
so far.[7]
Figure 1. Bottom: HPLC profile of the fullerene extract containing
C78(4). Top left: Magnification of the HPLC profile showing the
presence of an uncommon peak at the tail of C78(3) fraction. Top right:
Signal in the LDI mass spectrum implying that the newly isolated
compound is a C78 isomer.
Herein, we report the successful synthesis and isolation of
the last member of the C78 IPR family, C78(4), as well as the
confirmation of its connectivity pattern through single-crystal
X-ray analysis of its chlorinated derivative C78(4)Cl18.[10]
A
sponding to different extracts obtained from soots generated
by the RF furnace, as well as a commercial soot extract is
presented in the Supporting Information.)
detailed analysis of the X-ray data shows evidence of
attractive intermolecular Cl···Cl interactions, the importance
of which bears an essential insight into the nature of chemical
bonding.
The new compound was separated from the crude extract
by multi step recycling HPLC using a Buckyprep column, and
identified as an isomer of C78 on the basis of its M+ signal in
the mass spectrum (Figure 1).Employing a mixture of
toluene/dichloromethane (4:1) as a mobile phase was found
to be crucial in the separation of pure C78(4), since it coelutes
with the fraction of C78(3) under conventional conditions
(toluene as eluent).Considering the chromatographic behav-
ior of all known soluble IPR isomers of C78 (isomers 1 to 3)
under the given conditions as well as the insolubility of C78(5),
we ascribed the newly isolated compound to C78(4).To prove
our hypothesis, crystals of the chlorinated derivative
C78(4)Cl18 were prepared using a mixture of TiCl4 and Br2,
which has proved to be a powerful and selective chlorinating
agent.[12] C78(4)Cl18 forms solvent-free crystals in the hexag-
[*] K. S. Simeonov, Dr. K. Y. Amsharov, E. Krokos, Prof. Dr. M. Jansen
Department of Chemistry
Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research
Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)
Fax: (+49)711-689-1502
E-mail: m.jansen@fkf.mpg.de
Homepage: http://www.fkf.mpg.de/jansen
[**] We gratefully acknowledge generous support from the Fonds der
Chemischen Industrie, and thank Dr. J. Nuss for collectingthe X-ray
data.
Supportinginformation for this article is available on the WWW
under http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.200801922.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 6283 –6285
ꢀ 2008 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
6283

Communications
onal space group P63/m.The hcp (hexagonal close-packed)
lengths that range from 1.39 to 1.41 Š, very close to those in
benzene (1.395 A). According to the structural criterion of
aromaticity,[13] these fragments possess high p-electron deloc-
alization and are fully aromatic.To the best of our knowledge,
analogue arrangement of the fullerene molecules exhibits
large tunnels with a diameter of approximately 2.4 Š
extending along [001], which are big enough for small
molecules such as hydrogen to penetrate (Figure 2).The
À
such a high level of equivalence of C C bonds in fullerene
cages has not been observed previously.Interestingly, all 18
chlorine atoms can virtually be divided into three groups, each
consisting of six chlorine atoms lying in one plane.This
arrangement leads to the formation of three, almost equi-
lateral, “chlorine hexagons” which are parallel to the planes
of the “benzene rings” (see the Supporting Information).
The fully ordered crystals of C78(4)Cl18 provide the
possibility to precisely determine not only all the bond
lengths but also the intermolecular distances.A closer look at
the crystal structure reveals some unexpected phenomena.
Firstly, all the chlorine atoms (18 per molecule) are involved
in short intermolecular Cl···Cl contacts (Figure 4), which are
Figure 2. Projection of the structure of C78(4)Cl18 onto the [001] plane.
Shaded: lower layer, unshaded: upper layer. The large tunnels whose
inner “surface” consists only of chlorine atoms, are clearly visible.
quality of the crystals obtained has allowed an accurate
structure determination presenting all atoms in ordered and
fixed positions.The experimentally derived and DFT-calcu-
À
lated C C bond lengths in C78(4)Cl18 are in good agreement
(Figure 3).The stabilizing factor in C 78(4)Cl18 is the formation
Figure 4. ORTEP plot of C78(4)Cl18 molecules in the crystal showing
short two- and three-centered Cl···Cl contacts (represented by dotted
À
lines). Symmetrically identical C Cl bonds have different lengths as
the intermolecular interactions in which they are involved (constituting
two- or three-centered contacts) are of different magnitudes. Thermal
ellipsoids are drawn at the 50% probability level.
all shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of two
À
chlorine atoms.At the same time, all the C Cl bonds are
extremely elongated, reaching values of 1.87 Š. According to
À
the classical concept of the covalent C Cl bond, an increased
Figure 3. Correlation between the experimentally obtained and DFT
interatomic distance must lead to localization of a strong
negative charge on the chlorine atom.However, the short
intermolecular distances between chlorine atoms do not fit
with this general postulate.Since there are no other inter-
molecular contacts besides Cl···Cl, which we regard to be
significant in influencing the molecular packing, the short
Cl···Cl separations are presumably a result of attractive
interactions between chlorine atoms.Stronger evidence of
the nature of the attraction can be obtained by considering
two- and three-centered Cl···Cl contacts (Figure 4) in which
À
calculated C C distances. Three different groups are easily observed:
À
“pure” double (around 1.35 Š), aromatic (1.40–1.45 Š), and single C
C bonds (1.50–1.55 Š).
of nine “aromatic” rings—a trend typical for halogenated
fullerenes.(The addition pattern of chlorine atoms can be
found in the Supporting Information.) Three of these rings
are characterized by a high degree of equivalence in the bond
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Angewandte
Chemie
À
Whetten, C.Thilgen, C.Ettl, I.Chao, M.M.Alvarez,
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Science
structurally equivalent C Cl bonds are involved (according to
the D3h point group symmetry of C78(4)Cl18).The respective
À
C Cl bonds (1.87 Š) in the three-centered Cl···Cl contacts,
are longer than those in the two-centered contacts (1.82 Š,
Figure 4).In the case of the three-centered contacts the
accumulation of a “heavy” negative charge would be
expected to create a strong repulsive force.However, exactly
the opposite tendency is observed—the intermolecular Cl···Cl
distances are shorter in the three-centered contacts than in
the two-centered contacts (3.34 Š and 3.45 Š respectively,
Figure 4).The unique structure of C 78(4)Cl18 provides the
possibility to analyze the influence of intermolecular inter-
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À
actions on the C Cl bond lengths and to conclude that the
elongation of C Cl bonds involved in the shorter Cl···Cl
À
contacts is a result of attractive interactions between chlorine
atoms.
In summary, the last member of the C78-fullerene family,
C78(4), was synthesized and its connectivity pattern confirmed
through single-crystal X-ray analysis of the chlorinated
derivative C78(4)Cl18.Hence all IPR isomers of C
are
78
formed during graphite vaporization and their relative
abundance correlates with the individual isomer stability.
Thus it can be concluded that kinetic factors do not play any
significant role in the process of fullerene formation.The
presence of “unusual” Cl···Cl attractive interactions was
found, initiating further theoretical investigations, which are
already in progress.
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[10] X-ray diffraction data was collected using a Bruker APEX II
CCD difractometer (MoKa radiation (l = 0.71073 Š), graphite
monochromator).The crystal structure was solved and all atoms
refined in the anisotropic approximation using SHELXTL.[10a]
Crystals of D3h C78(4)Cl18: 0.02 ꢀ 0.02 ꢀ 0.01 mm; hexagonal;
space group P63/m; a = 13.055(5), b = 13.055(5), c =
18.762(14) Š, V= 2769(2) Š3, Z = 2; 2qmax = 41.748; À13 < h <
13, À13 < k < 13, À18 < l < 18; l = 0.71073 Š; T= 100(2) K;
Experimental Section
The pristine fullerene was produced by evaporation of graphite by
means of the RF-furnace method, details of which have been
published elsewhere.[11] C78(4) was synthesized by heating the
carbon cylinder up to 26008C and increasing the pressure to
380 mbar.The collected soot was extracted (Soxhlet) and separated
by multistep HPLC.The new fullerene halide was obtained through
chlorination of C78(4) (0.1 mg) in a mixture of Br2/TiCl4 (1:150 v/v,
1.5 mL) in a closed glass ampoule. Slightly yellowish crystals formed
directly on the glass wall after the mixture had been heated at 1308C
for one week.Subsequently, the ampoule was opened and the excess
solvent decanted.The product was found to be stable in air for at least
one month.
data/restraints/parameters = 1018/0/118;
full-matrix
least-
squares refinement on F2; semiempirical absorption correction
from equivalents; m = 0.946 mmÀ1 (transmission min./max. =
0.964/0.988); final R indices (Fo > 4s(Fo)) are R1 = 0.0601 and
wR2 = 0.1629. CCDC 686048 contains the supplementary crys-
tallographic data for this paper.These data can be obtained free
of charge from The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre via
www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/data request/cif;
SHELXTL v.61. 4, Bruker AXS.
a) G. M.
Sheldrick,
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Received: April 24, 2008
Published online: July 10, 2008
[12] a) K.S.Simeonov, K.Yu.Amsharov, M.Jansen,
Angew. Chem.
Keywords: C78 · fullerenes · halogenation · structure elucidation
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Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 6283 –6285
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www.angewandte.org
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