Radical Trifluoromethylation of Sc₃N@C₈₀

Abstract

The addition of CF 3 radicals to both the I h and D 5 h cage-isomers of Sc 3 N@C 80 by high-temperature reaction of the metallic nitride fullerenes with gaseous CF 3 I has resulted in the isolation of Sc 3 N@(C 80 - I h )(CF 3 ) 2 and Sc 3 N@(C 80 - D 5h )(CF 3 ) 2, which have idealized C 2 and C s symmetry, respectively. Both new compounds were characterized by 19 F NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and quantum-chemical calculations at the DFT level of theory, and the I h cage derivative was also characterized by cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate that both compounds have a p -C 6 (CF 3 ) 2 hexagon with endohedral Sc atoms bonded to the sp 2 cage C atoms para to the sp 3 cage C(CF 3 ) atoms.