Methane in an open-cage [60]fullerene.
An endohedral methane complex of a fullerene derivative is first synthesized by insertion of a methane molecule through the opening of an open-cage C(60) derivative. The trapped methane is confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Both methane carbon and protons show remarkable upfield shifts in NMR, characteristic of a chemical species in a fullerene cage. CH(4) protons appear as one equivalent signal in the (1)H NMR spectrum, suggesting that even methane can rotate in a C(60) cage.
Department of Chemistry, Yale University, P.O. Box 208107, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8107, USA.
Keith E
KE
Whitener
R James
RJ
Cross
Martin
M
Saunders
Sho-ichi
S
Iwamatsu
Shizuaki
S
Murata
Naomi
N
Mizorogi
Shigeru
S
Nagase