REACTION OF C-60 WITH OXYGEN INITIATED BY RADICALS FROM AZO(BISISOBUTYRONITRILE)

In an o-dichlorobenzene solution exposed to an atmosphere of air or pu re oxygen, C-60 reacts with radicals generated by thermal decompositio n of azo(bisisobutyronitrile) and with oxygen to form mixtures of high ly substituted and oxygenated monomeric, dimeric, and trimeric derivat ives. LSIMS, LDMS, and SIMS (Liquid Secondary Ion, Laser Desorption, a nd Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) of these mixtures give clusters of peaks for C-2n from C-40 to greater than C-200. Elemental analyses sh ow large H, N, and O contents that increase with the amount of AIBN an d the partial pressure of oxygen during the reaction. H-1 and C-13 NMR spectra consist of broad bands assigned to complex mixtures of substi tuted fullerenes containing many 2-cyano-2-propyl groups derived from AIBN. Diffuse reflectance infrared spectra show hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) of the mixture p repared under oxygen retained 40% of the initial weight at 640 degrees C, while <19% of the initial weight remained from the mixture prepare d under argon.