ChemInform Abstract: Rapid and Efficient Synthesis of Alkali Metal-C60 Compounds in Liquid Ammonia.

Abstract

The reaction of stoichiometric amounts of alkali metals with C[sub 60] in liquid ammonia provides a rapid and quantitative route to M[sub x]C[sub 60] superconductors (M[sub x] = K[sub 3]/, Rb[sub 3]/, CsRb[sub 2], RbCs[sub 2], KRbCs). Annealing of the samples for 24-48 h at 375[degrees]C is required to obtain large superconducting fractions. [sup 13]C and [sup 87]Rb NMR line shapes are reported for Rb[sub 3]C[sub 60]. The [sup 13]C line shapes show the degree of rotational motion of the C[sub 60] ions varies considerably from sample to sample and is dependent on the method of preparation and subsequent heat treatment. A correlation between the degree of rotational motion and the superconducting fraction is noted and attributed to the amount of disorder in the sample. [sup 87]Rb NMR shows three peaks indicating that Rb[sub 3]C[sub 60] actually contains three different cation sites, rather than the two suggested by X-ray powder diffraction data. The third site is occupied by approximately 15% of the Rb ions in Rb[sub 3]C[sub 60] and is shown to be a subset of the tetrahedral sites in the cubic close-packed C[sub 60] lattice. Although the exact nature of the distortion required to produce the third site ismore » unknown, it appears to be unrelated to the orientations of the C[sub 60] ions creating the site. 18 refs., 2 figs.« less