title: Bottom-up formation of endohedral mono-metallofullerenes is directed by charge transfer.
abstract: An understanding of chemical formation mechanisms is essential to achieve effective yields and targeted products. One of the most challenging endeavors is synthesis of molecular nanocarbon. Endohedral metallofullerenes are of particular interest because of their unique properties that offer promise in a variety of applications. Nevertheless, the mechanism of formation from metal-doped graphite has largely eluded experimental study, because harsh synthetic methods are required to obtain them. Here we report bottom-up formation of mono-metallofullerenes under core synthesis conditions. Charge transfer is a principal factor that guides formation, discovered by study of metallofullerene formation with virtually all available elements of the periodic table. These results could enable production strategies that overcome long-standing problems that hinder current and future applications of metallofullerenes.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, 95 Chieftain Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA [2] Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA.
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Dunk
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química Física i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, c/Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulet-Gas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.affiliation: Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química Física i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, c/Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fortea
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química Física i Inorgànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, c/Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Poblet
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, 95 Chieftain Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA [2] Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA.
authors.forename: Alan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, 95 Chieftain Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Harold W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kroto