NEAR-IR ABSORPTION-SPECTRA FOR THE BUCKMINSTERFULLERENE ANIONS - AN EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDY

C60 can exist in a number of oxidation states including C60(1-), C60(2-), C60(3-) and C60(4-). We describe in this paper near-IR absorption peaks which are unique to these four oxidation states. These peaks are observed upon one, two, three, and four electron electrochemical chemical reductions of C60. We have rationalized the energies and intensities of these electronic absorptions based on modifications of the known molecular orbital diagram of C60. The near-IR absorptions reported here should provide a clear and unambiguous biguous route for determining the oxidation state of C60 in solution.