CHEMICAL-TRANSFORMATIONS ON THE [60] FULLERENE FRAMEWORK VIA AZIRIDINATION PROCESSES

Isolation of closed 6,6-bridged aziridinofullerenes 2 by reaction of [ 60] fullerene with singlet oxycarbonylnitrenes is accompanied by small amounts of previously undetected closed 5,6-adducts 4, thought to ari se by trapping of triplet nitrenes. Isomerization of the 6,6-bridged a dducts to the corresponding oxazolo [4',5':1,2][60] fullerene derivati ves 3 occurs upon heating with the exception of the tert-butoxycarbony l adduct which eliminates isobutene and CO2 to yield the parent azirid inofullerene C60NH 6.