ESR STUDY ON THE DOUBLET AND TRIPLET SPECIES PRESENT IN PRISTINE C-60FULLERENE POWDER

Doublet and triplet magnetic species have been detected and studied by ESR spectroscopy in the pristine fullerene C-60 both in the solid sta te and in solution. It has been confirmed that the doublet species tak e origin from a photon-assisted reaction with the molecular oxygen O-2 ofthe air. Anyway, from T-1 relaxation-time measurements and from phy sical treatment of the samples, it has been established that the doubl et species are not really in solution, but they are contained in the b ulk of diamagnetic clusters suspended in the employed solvent. The mag netic interaction between the doublet species has also been detected a nd it allowed to obtain the mean distance between two of the interacti ng radical ions which are supposed to be (C-60(+))(.) species.