Spectroscopic and Photophysical Properties of the Soluble Cn Molecules, n = 60, 70, 76/78, 84

Abstract

Abstract:A report is given on molecular carbon research in Los Angeles, starting with review of the molecular precursor approach to carbon materials.1 Regarding larger molecules, mixtures of carbon molecules, Cn, are extracted2 in 25–40 percent yield from graphite evaporated under helium. Gram quantities of the mixture are then separated into pure fractions – C60, C70, C76/C78, C84, and higher (n > 88),3,4 and characterized by mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, and 13CNMR spectroscopy. Examination of the spectroscopic and photophysical5 properties of the molecules, with particular focus on C60 in solution, reveals: (i) the first transitions appear at high energy, are electronically forbidden (in C60, the homo-lumo hu - t1u transitions), and exhibit resolved vibronic structure; (ii) the spectra sharpen in cryogenic media, allowing vibronic assignment; and (iii) relaxation occurs with near-unity quantum yield to a long-lived triplet, which also transfers energy efficiently to acceptors including O2.