Preparation and structure of ferrocene derivative C60 adduct

Experiments on preparation of C60ONCFn cycloadduct (Fn=ferrocene) are reported. The adduct was prepared in the reaction between C60 and ferrocene oxime. The ferrocene derivative is bound to C60 at the 6–6 bond by a heterocyclic oxygen–nitrogen–carbon ring. The reaction may lead either to the mono- or a diadduct. To determine structure of the molecules at various heat treatment stages, IR absorption and 1H and 13C NMR were measured. Thermal stability of the compound was analyzed by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry methods. The analyses showed that thermal treatment may be applied to remove organic groups to obtain sample containing FeC60, with C60 arranged in the fcc lattice and iron dispersed between fullerenes. The experimental results are compared with calculations based on the semi-empirical quantum chemistry models ZINDO1 and PM3.