title: Highly-iodinated fullerene as a contrast agent for X-ray imaging.
abstract: The first fullerene-based X-ray contrast agent (CA) has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. The new CA is an externally functionalized derivative of C60 that is conceptually based on contemporary X-ray CA, all of which use iodine as the X-ray attenuating vehicle and are based on the 2,4,6-triiodinated-benzene-ring substructure. Using a modified Bingel-type reaction, a single addend containing 6 iodine atoms and 8 protected hydroxyl groups was appended to C60 followed by the addition of 4 more addends each containing 4 protected hydroxyl groups. Final deprotection afforded the highly water-soluble (>460 mg/mL), non-ionic, highly-iodinated (24% I) fullerene for application as an X-ray contrast agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, MS-60 Rice University, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wharton
authors.forename: Lon J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D007536:Isomerism; D008027:Light; D011859:Radiography; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D037741:Fullerenes; D007202:Indicators and Reagents