1998 J.C. Polanyi Award Lecture fullerene ions in the gas phase: chemistryas a function of charge state

Results of recent measurements in the Ion Chemistry Laboratory at York Univ ersity using the Selected-Ion Flow Tube (SLFT) technique are surveyed for r eactions of singly, doubly, and triply charged buckminsterfullerene C-60(n) cations proceeding at room temperature in helium buffer gas at 0.35 Torr (1 Torr = 133.3 Pa). Measured rate coefficients and observed product channe ls for reactions with a variety of inorganic and organic molecules depend s trongly on the charge state of the reactant ion. The measured rate coeffici ents span more than four orders of magnitude. Primary product channels obse rved include attachment, dissociative attachment, dissociative attachment w ith charge separation, single-electron transfer, dissociative single-electr on transfer, and two-electron transfer. A qualitative description of the po tential-energy profiles associated with these reaction channels is provided . The observed higher order chemistry of derivatized C-60(n+) cations and o f atomic exohedral adduct ions is also described. This chemistry includes c ation-transfer reactions, surface derivatization, and "ball-and-chain" poly merization. Finally, results are presented that provide insight into the in fluence of surface strain on the reactivities of fullerene ions.