Pentafluorophenyl Transfer Reaction: Preparation of Pentafluorophenyl [60]Fullerene Adducts through Opening of Fullerene Epoxide Moiety with Trispentafluorophenylborane

Unlike
the extensively studied perfluoroalkyl fullerene adducts, perfluorophenyl
fullerene adducts are quite difficult to prepare by known methods.
Trispentafluorophenylborane was found to react with fullerene epoxide
to form the 1,2-perfluorophenylfullerenol. The method can be applied
to both the simple epoxide C60(O) and fullerene multiadducts
containing an epoxide moiety. Single crystal X-ray structure analysis
confirmed the addition of the pentafluorophenyl group.