ELECTROCHEMICAL STUDIES AND SYNTHESES OF FULLERIDE-DERIVED MATERIALS

With widely-separated reduction potentials of > 200 mV, C60 can, in pr inciple, be selectively reduced to any one of six C60n- fulleride ions in solution by electrochemical methodology. Employing controlled-pote ntial electrolysis (CPE) in CH3CN, preliminary data for the electrosyn thesis and crystallization of superconducting K3C60 from solution are described. The epr spectroelectrochemistries of the C60- (S = 1/2), C6 0(2-) (S = 1) and C60(3-) (S = 1/2) ions in solution are considered to gether, and the general advantages of an electrochemical approach (as opposed to a CVD approach) toward C60n- -based materials are presented . For completeness, available electrochemical data for C70, C76 and C8 4 are also summarized and compared to C60. Finally, the synthesis and detection of trace amounts of [Y @ C82] (Y3+ ion inside a C82(3-) cage ) are described and the possible utility of synthetic electrochemistry is considered for the future synthesis and isolation of macro quantit ies of such metallofullerenes.