Electrochemical detection of C60− 4 and C60− 5 species coordinated to Vaskaʹs catalyst

The tetraanionic [60]fulleride– and pentaanionic [60]fulleride–Vaskaʹs complexes, detected electrochemically in acetonitrile/toluene solutions, are produced after the appearance of C60ʹs forth reduction wave in cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Osteryoung square wave voltammetry (OSWV) experiments. The observation that C60ʹs forth reduction wave becomes quasi irreversible suggests that tetraanionic [60]fulleride/CH3CN exchange on acetonitrile–Vaskaʹs complex partially depletes the [60]fulleride tetraanion. Whether the pentaanionic [60]fulleride–Vaskaʹs complex is produced from tetraanion-C60/CH3CN and/or pentaanion-C60/tetraanion-C60 exchange on CH3CN Vaskaʹs complex and tetraanion-[60]fulleride–Vaskaʹs complex, respectively, or by electrochemical reduction of the tetraanion-[60]fulleride–Vaskaʹs complex is a query that will be addressed in a future investigation.