MASS-SPECTROMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF POLYFLUORINATED C(60) - EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF C(60)F(2N)(N = 0-30)

Electron-capture negative ion chemical ionization (EC-NICI) and field desorption (FD) mass spectrometric techniques were utilized to examine polyfluorinated C60. Two different samples from the same preparation, one prior to sublimation and the other sublimed material, were investigated. From the raw non-sublimed product in EC-NCI six series of ions corresponding to different numbers of attached oxygen atoms were obtained, which are represented by the formula [C60F2nOm]-, where n ranged from 0 to 30 and m from 0 to 5. The sublimed material in EC-NICI produced the same six series of ions with up to 48 fluorine atoms attached to C60. The field desorption of the same sample produced similar results, but the signal-to-noise ratios of the spectra were low. Both samples, in the two different techniques examined, yielded C60F60 ions with only an even number of fluorine atoms attached. The present investigation, for the first time, provides direct experimental evidence for the existence of higher fluorinated C60 up to C60F60 and multiple oxides of polyfluoro-C60 with up to five oxygen atoms attached.