title: Building Carbon Bridges on and between Fullerenes in Helium Nanodroplets.
abstract: We report the observation of sequential encounters of fullerenes with C atoms in an extremely cold environment. Experiments were performed with helium droplets at 0.37 K doped with C60 molecules and C atoms derived from a novel, pure source of C atoms. Very high-resolution mass spectra revealed the formation of carbenes of the type C60(C:)n with n up to 6. Bridge-type bonding of the C adatoms to form the known dumbbell C60═C═C60 also was observed. Density functional theory calculations were performed that elucidated the carbene character of the C60(C:)n species and their structures. Mass spectra taken in the presence of water impurities and in separate experiments with added H2 also revealed the formation of the adducts C60C(n)(H2O)n and C60C(n)(H2)n probably by H-OH and H-H bond insertion, respectively, and nonreactivity for the dumbell. So C adatoms that form carbenes C60(C:)n can endow pristine C60 with a higher chemical reactivity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Astrophysics Group of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena , Helmholtzweg 3, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Serge A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Krasnokutski
authors.affiliation: Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck , Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck , Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck , Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mauracher
authors.affiliation: Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck , Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Renzler
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, York University , 4700 Keele Street, Toronto M3J 1P3, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Diethard K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Bohme
authors.affiliation: Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck , Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheier