THE BORON HETEROFULLERENES C59B AND C69B - GENERATION, EXTRACTION, MASS-SPECTROMETRIC AND XPS CHARACTERIZATION

Boron heterofullerenes can be generated by are evaporation of doped gr aphite rods in a modified fullerene reactor. According to mass spectro metric analysis only mono-substituted fullerenes like C59B, C69B and h igher homologues can be extracted and enriched by the use of pyridine as the solvent. They are strong Lewis acids and undergo a decompositio n reaction to boric acid with traces of oxygen, XPS analysis of the ex tracts reveals the boron in the fullerene cage to be in a higher oxida tion state compared to ordinary boron-carbon compounds. The synthesis and extraction procedure opens a viable route for the macroscopic prod uction of these compounds.