Many endohedral metallofullerenes have a C82 cage surrounding the metals, even though the normal arc-vaporization method of fullerene preparation does not generate C82 in significant abundance.1-10Manolopous et al.11-13attribute the low abundance of empty-cage C82 to the unfavorable electron configuration of this species. Consequently, the prevalence of C82 in metallofullerenes may be the result of an electron transfer from the encapsulated metal atoms to the fullerene cage.10-13 The extent of this charge transfer also contributes to the properties (e.g. catalytic, superconductive, nonlinear optical, and ferromagnetic) that are attributed to the endohedral metallofullerenes.14,15Because of the importance of the charge transfer reaction, characterization of metallofullerenes by spectroscopy and electrochemistry is an active area of research.1-16 Only recently, however, have sufficient quantities of pure metallofullerenes and C82 been available for investigations of this type.3-5,16-20 Here, we report the square-wave voltammetry of Sc3@C82 in pyridine and find that it resembles that for La@C82 and Y@C82,3-5 but Sc3@C82 transfers more electrons to the cage than the monometallic endohedral metallofullerenes (MMF's).
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mark_anderson1/33/