Photochemical bissilylation of C-60 with disilane

The photochemical reaction of C-60 with disilane I affords the adduct 2 as a bissilylated product. The unique redox properties of 2 are reported by me ans of differential pulse voltammetry. The compound 2 was characterized by NMR, IR, and UV-vis spectroscopies. Spectroscopic and theoretical investiga tion strongly support the 1,16-addition structure having C-2 symmetry which results from addition at the 1,16 positions in C-60 The results are reason ably accounted for by the generation of a silyl radical which is responsibl e for the formation of 2.