Unsaturated fulleranes and the minor features of the unidentified infrared emission near 3 m

Abstract

An explanation of the existence of the plateau of emission from 3.4 to 3.6 μm and the weak peaks at 3.46, 3.51 and 3.56 μm in the unidentified infrared emission features is presented in terms of the vibrational transitions of the fulleranes and their ions. It is suggested that the 3.46 μm peak is attributable to aliphatic C-H stretching shifted from the usual wavelength of 3.40 μm by the effect of a vacant site (i.e. a missing hydrogen atom) at one of the neighbouring carbon atoms. Two neighbouring vacant sites have a greater effect and shift the wavelength to give rise to the 3.51 μm line, and three produce the 3.56 μm line