ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
Buckyballs are known to enclose small molecules, but now C60 itself has been completely enveloped, in this case by an inorganic fullerene-like molecular shell (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja075926m). Manfred Scheer at the University of Regensburg, in Germany, and colleagues created the supramolecular cover (core structure shown) from pentaphosphaferrocene and copper(I) chloride building blocks (C = gray, Cu = blue, Cl = green, Fe = orange, P = purple; H atoms omitted). The outer diameter of the spherical shell is 2.3 nm. The researchers noticed a relatively strong electronic interaction between the C60 and the encapsulating molecule, and on the basis of the complex's black color, they expect interesting conductivity properties. Scheer says the discovery opens up novel prospects for self-assembled processes involving encapsulation. The team plans to extend the concept to C70, substituted fullerenes, and other molecules.
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on Twitter