Selective Electrochemical Retro‐Cycloaddition Reaction of Pyrrolidinofullerenes

Abstract

Going retro: Controlled-potential electrolysis (CPE) is employed as a synthetic tool in the selective removal of addends from fullerene adducts. Reductive CPE has been extensively used in the retro-cyclopropanation of fullerenes without affecting pyrrolidine addends also present. Now oxidative CPE for the selective removal of pyrrolidine addends in the presence of methano adducts is reported (see scheme).