Modifications of Fullerenes Extractions and Chromatographies with Different Solvents

Abstract

In the Bucky System II, based on electrical arc method, carbon soot was produced. Fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ were Soxhlet extracted from the collected soot samples with toluene, chlorobenzene and with both of them successively, modifying the original methods. The yields of the both obtained toluene extracts were 5.4%. Chlorobenzene extract yield was 5.8%. After extraction of toluene insoluble soot with chlorobenzene, the entire extract yield was increased from 5.4% to 5.8%, due to modification of the existing methods. The difference of fullerenes solubilities in these solvents has been concluded. In the second part of our work toluene and chlorobenzene fullerenes extracts were separated by column chromatographies on active Al₂O₃, modifying the existing methods, by elution with hexane and mixtures of benzene, toluene, or xylene with hexane in determined ratios and orders. Identifications of buckminsterfullerene C₆₀ in the first chromatographically purified fractions were achieved by electron impact ionization (EI) mass, IR, and UV/VIS spectroscopy. The second and the third purified fullerene fractions, toluene and chlorobenzene soot extracts were characterized by IR and UV/VIS methods.     

An Invariant of Carbon Arc Synthesis of Fullerenes

The yields of fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ were determined in a wide range of controlled parameters. The total yield of fullerenes varied from 3 to 24%. The molar relative contents C₆₀/C₇₀ appeared to be constant for all samples of toluene extracts of the soot and equal to 5.06 ± 0.1. The accuracy of this constancy (± 2%) was determined by application of a special mathematical processing to the spectra of toluene extracts.     

Thermal Stability in Pure Oxygen of Soot Generated During the Production of C60 by the Contact Arc Vaporization of Graphite

The thermal stability in oxygen of residual soot, after extraction with toluene, has been found to be lower than that of C₆₀. Since the residual soot has been shown from previous studies to contain higher fullerenes, the present results suggest that the oxidative stability of higher fullerenes, rather surprisingly, is lower than that of C₆₀.     

SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF C60 AND C70 FULLERENES BY A SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD

In all fullerene-producing systems, reaction products were black soot extracts reported to contain a 5-25% fullerene mixture. Toluene extraction of the soot results in a solution of C₆₀, C₇₀, and higherc fullerenes. Without separation, absolute determination of the contents is not possible, leaving the researcher to comment only on the C₆₀/C₇₀ ratio of the solution. High-performance liquid chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning tunneling microscopy imaging techniques were reported in the literature for determining the C₆₀/C₇₀ ratio of the mixtures. These methods require tedious experiments and produce slightly differing results as well. In this communication, a new and relatively quick method is proposed for the simultaneous determination of the yields of C₆₀ and C₇₀ (not the ratio) in fullerene-containing solutions by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric analysis.     

C60 and Giant Fullerenes in Soot Condensed in Vapors with Variable C/H2 Ratio

A transmission electron microscope (TEM) study of individual soot grains forming fluffy carbon particles produced using the arc-discharge technique revealed close-packed arrangements of single-wall ring structures with average diameters of 0.7, 1.1, 3.0, 5.5, and 8.2 nm. These structures were hypothesized to be C₆₀ and giant, C₅₄₀, C₉₆₀, and C₁₅₀₀, fullerenes that could form by coalescence during condensation and soot agglomeration, although in situ solid-state growth cannot be excluded. Mass spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatography of the samples confirmed the presence of C₆₀ fullerene in all samples giving confidence to the giant fullerene growth scenario. Our results suggest that fullerenes could be common in soot grains produced by this technique as well as being an important carbon phase in C-rich accretion disks around young stellar objects and among the dust in the interstellar medium.     

Structure and Defects in Thin C60 Films

Thin C₆₀ films were deposited by vacuum sublimation of soot on single-crystal and amorphous substrates. The absence of higher fullerenes was confirmed by IR, Raman and UV-VIS spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction revealed a high density of stacking faults (probabilities in the range 10^-2), correlated with lattice distortions. Analysis of the UV-VIS absorption bands yielded values of the h_u → t_1g and h_u → t_1u optical gaps.     

Fullerenes in Chinese Ink Sticks (“Sumi”)

Small amounts (up to 0.1%) of C₆₀ and C₇₀ have been detected by high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of toluene extracts from soots used to manufacture Chinese ink sticks, or Sumi. These soots have been prepared by slow burning of pine wood, and later various seed oils. Turpentine oil, the major constituent of pine wood oil, have been found to produce twice as much fullerenes as does toluene when used as the combustion material. The yields of fullerene from unsaturated combustion materials decrease with the iodine number, reaching zero in the saturated compounds. Possible role of fullerenes as the effective gloss enhancer for black color is suggested in reference to the known technique of adding a natural red pigment to Sumi practiced in Japan.     

Laser Pyrolysis of Hydrocarbons in Synthesis of Soot Containing Fullerenes

Using a high power CW CO₂ laser, the pyrolysis in a flow reactor of different hydrocarbons/oxidizer mixtures with/without sensitizer lead to soots containing weightable quantities of fullerenes which were identified by FTIR spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The C₆₀ and C₇₀ quantification was done by HPLC. The FTIR spectroscopy of toluene extracts from the soots and of exhaust gases allowed to discuss some aspects concerning the influence of sensitizer (SF₆) addition as well as of the oxidiser (O₂/N₂O) on the fullerene production in laser pyrolysis of benzene-based mixtures.     

Spectroscopic Investigations of M(CO)5-C60 (M = W, MO) Complexes: Precursors for Metal Fullerides

Photochemical reactions of M(CO)₆ (M = W, Mo) with C₆₀ in solution yield η:²-complexes of M(CO)₅ with C₆₀. The complexes have been characterised by IR, UV/VIS, NMR and DSC. They do not show any orientational ordering down to 12 K and all the infrared bandwidths remain the same down to this temperature. The complexes can be decomposed thermally or photochemically yielding metal fullerides, which show characteristic reduction in peak width in the variable temperature IR spectra due to orientational ordering. Transitions are manifested in calorimetric studies also. Metal → C₆₀ charge-transfer is observed in IR and XPS. A high temperature IR study of the C₆₀-W(CO)₅ complex reveals sequential elimination of the carbonyls yielding MC₆₀. The study shows that carbonyl complexes can be used as precursors to make transition metal fullerides.     

Arc Synthesis of Silicon-Doped Heterofullerenes in Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

For the first time, an arc synthesis at atmospheric pressure was carried out for obtaining silicon-doped heterofullerenes C₅₂Si₈ and C₆₂Si₈. These molecules were detected in a pyridine extract from soot by mass spectrometry in amounts of no more than 1%. The abundance ratio of the heterofullerenes is the same as that for C₆₀/C₇₀ mixture. An explanation of the absence of heterofullerenes with lower number of Si atoms is given.     

Temperature Dependence of C60 Solubility in Different Solvents

Temperature dependence of C₆₀ solubility in four organic solvents, i.e., hexane, toluene, xylene and cyclohexane, above room temperature is investigated. It is found that the solubilities decrease as temperature rising in hexane, toluene and xylene indicating an exothermic process, while the solubility in cyclohexane increases with the temperature increase denoting an endothermic dissolving process. Least square fit gives the heat of solution of C₆₀ in hexane, toluene, xylene and cyclohexane as -6.0, -9.8, -9.1 and 48.2 kJ/mol respectively. A brief discussion is presented.     

Photophysical and Photochemical Properties of the Fullerenes

This article primarily reviews the recent work of this laboratory on the photophysical and photochemical properties of the fullerenes, C₆₀ and C₇₀, in solution. Properties of the excited singlet and triplet states of them have been characterised by static and transient fluorescence spectroscopy. Charge and/or proton transfer dynamics in ground and excited singlet state of the fullerenes with the amines have been investigated in detail. Strong evidence has been obtained for weak interaction between the fullerenes and the aromatic solvents, like benzene, toluene etc. A novel method has been described to solubilise C₆₀ in aqueous solution via formation of inclusion complex with γ-cylodextrin.     

A Study of Fullerene Preparation Technique

A new homemade are fullerene generator used in this experiment is reported. The comparation of yields of fullerenes (C₆₀/C₇₀ mixture) was studied by different power supplies (AC and DC), different gaps of two graphite rods and different He pressure between 0.4×10⁴- 2.8×10⁴ Pa. In our experiment, the highest yield up to 13% was achieved, when DC discharge was used and the optimum He pressure was near 0.8×10⁴ - 1.6×10⁴ Pa.

The mixed fullerene was analyzed by electron impact masa spectnun (EIMS). The relative amount af C₆₀ to C₇₀ was 4.2 to 1. After column chromatography aeperation with hexane on alumina, 99.9% Cso was obtained. FTIR and ^1aC-NMR epectrum were ueed to characterize the pure C₆₀ samples.     

The Influence of Ir and Pt Addition on the Synthesis of Fullerenes at Atmospheric Pressure

The addition of metallic Ir and Pt to a fullerene-forming, atmospheric-pressure plasma reactor was found to influence the generation of carbonaceous products. It was observed that the added metals were efficiently dispersed into the plasma and that their presence increased the yield of fullerenes. The addition of Ir led to a noticeable shift in the fullerene distribution towards C₆₀, whereas the addition of Pt increased the proportion of C₆₀ oxides and decreased the proportion of higher fullerenes. Addition of Ir also caused a reduction of the soot particle size and the formation of a considerable quantity of carbon nanotubes.     

Quantitative Determination of C60 and C70 in Soot Extracts by High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Mass Spectrometric Characterization

A quantitative HPLC method was applied to determine the amounts of C₆₀ and C₇₀ present in extracts of soot produced in the electric arc reactor and in flames. The combustion method was found to yield a higher C₇₀/C₆₀ ratio (0.67) compared with the evaporation experiment where the C₇₀/C₆₀ ratio amounts to 0.27.     

CO-DEPOSITION OF FULLERENES AND SULFUR FROM DILUTED SOLUTION

A new method to synthesize fullerene and sulfur compounds has been developed. Using this method, C₆₀S₁₆ and C₇₀S₁₆ compounds were grown from dilute fullerene and sulfur toluene solution. Their atomic structures were analyzed by x-ray diffraction with the single crystal. The C₆₀S₁₆ crystal is C-centered monoclinic structure of a=2.0874 nm, b=2.1139 nm, c=1.05690 nm and β=111.93°, and the C₇₀S₁₆ has a primitive monoclinic, P2₁/c, with lattice parameters of a=1.5271 nm, b=1.49971 nm, c=2.18024 nm and β=109.791°. In this compound, the structure of fullerenes is maintained and sulfur atoms form S₈ rings placed around the fullerenes.     

Synthesis of fullerenes from carbon powder by using high power induction thermal plasma

Radio frequency (rf) inductively coupled thermal plasma (ICTP) was used to fabricate fullerenes (C₆₀,C₇₀, etc.) by direct evaporation of carbon powder injected into the plasma. Spectroscopic observation of the plasma was made for molecular band spectra of C₂ and atomic lines of C. The formation of fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ as well as higher fullerenes were checked and recognized by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TFMS). The suitable conditions for the synthesis of fullerenes within the experimental conditions adopted were 10-kPa plasma pressure, with a considerably higher flow rate of approximately 150 l/min for mixed-gas condition of Ar, He and CO₂, with carbon powder of average diameter 20 μm. The results showed that the productivity of fullerenes has a relation to the intensity of C₂ molecular and C atomic spectra from the induction plasma. Mixing of Si with C particles has a kind of role in enhancing the synthesis rate of fullerenes C₆₀, as well as the higher order fullerenes.     

Arylation of [60]Fullerene with Br2/FeCl3/PhH: Formation of C58 Derivatives via CO Loss

Heating a mixture of [60]fullerene, bromine, ferric chloride and benzene under reflux for 24 h products a range of phenylated [60]fullerene derivatives. The main product is C₆₀Ph₅H but other components identified by mass spectrometry (and in some cases separated by HPLC) are: C_6oPh_n(n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12), C₆₀Ph_nO₂(n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12), C₆₀Ph_nOH (n = 7, 9, 11), C₆₀Ph_nH₂ (n = 4, 10), C₆₀Ph₄H₄, C₆₀Ph₅H₃, C₆₀Ph_n0₂H (n = 5, 9), C₆₀Ph₄C₆H₄O₂, C₆₀Ph₉OH₃, and C₆₀Ph₁₁ O₃H₂. In the corresponding reaction with toluene, the crude reaction mixture contained C₆₀(MeC₆H₄)₄ as a main product; C₆₀(ClC₆H₄)₅H was obtained from the reaction with chlorobenzene. Formation of these derivatives is believed to involve radical bromination of the fullerene, followed by electrophilic substitution of the hatogenofullerene into the aromatic, accompanied in some case by hydrolysis, elimination and epoxide formation; oxidation may also introduce ketone/dioxetane functionality. The EI mass spectra of C₆₀Ph₄O₂ and C₆₀Ph₈O₂show degradation to C₅₈Ph_n (n = 0-8), having structures believed to be related to the pseudofollerenes C₆₈Ph_n (n = 0-8) reported recently. These results suggest that some derivatisations of fullerenes confer stability, due to the relief of strain.     

C60H18, C60H36 and C70H36 Fullerene Hydrides: Study by Methods of IR, NMR, XPS, EELS and Magnetochemistry

Fullerene hydrides of C₆₀H₁₈, C₆₀H₃₆ and C₇₀H₃₆ are studied by using IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, X-ray photoelectron and electron energy loss spectroscopies, and magnetochemistry. The comparison of IR and solid state ¹H and ¹³C NMR data for C₆₀H₃₆ with the theoretical ones allows the suggestion that fullerene hydride has a T symmetric structure and contains 4 isolated benzenoid rings located at tetrahedral positions on the surface of a closed skeleton of the molecule. The EELS revealed that the transition from fullerene to the hydride is accompanied by the decrease of the density of valence electrons. Magnetization measurements showed C₆₀H₃₆ to be a ferromagnet. The hydrogenated fullerenes were prepared by transfer hydrogenation procedures involving 9,10-dihydroanthracene. The compositions of the hydrides are determined by field desorption mass-spectral analysis.     

Pyrolytic Trifluoromethylation of [76]-, [78]-, [84]-, and Aza[60]Fullerenes with Silver Trifluoroacetate; Evidence for Coordination of Fullerenes to Silver

Pyrolytic trifluoromethylation of [76], [78], [84], and aza[60]fullerenes with silver trifluoroacetate at 300°C results in extensive polyaddition of up to 18, 18, 20 and 20 CF₃ groups, respectively. In contrast to trifluoromethylation of [60]- and [70]fullerenes that give a full range of derivatives ranging upwards from C_n(CF₃)₂, [76]-, [78]-, and [84]-fullerenes only give C_n(CF₃)_6-18 derivatives, largely in the 10-12 CF₃ range; reaction with [76]fullerene is accompanied by formation of C₆₀(CF₃)₆ attributed to cage fragmentation. For aza[60]fullerene the hexa-addition level dominates, in contrast to its other reactions which give predominantly penta-addition products. All the compounds showed peaks at 1256±2 and 1180-1190 cm^-1, due to the CF₃ group, and peaks in this region are shown also by the soluble extract obtained on trifluoromethylation of nanotubes. As in trifluoromethylation of [60]- and [70]-fullerenes, the products obtained initially are involatile, attributed to formation os silver complexes; these are decomposed on subsequent solution in toluene. Mixed isomeric trifluoromethylated C₆₀F₈ derivatives viz. C₆₀F₇CF₃, C₆₀F₆(FG₃)₂, C₆₀F₅(CF₃)₃ and C₆₀F₄(CF₃)₄, and C₆₀F₄CF₃CF₂CF₃ (a C₆₀F₆ derivative) have been isolated from fluorination of [60]fullerene with MnF₃/K₂NilF₆ at 510°C.