Radical trifluoromethylation of Sc3N@C80

The addition of CF3 radicals to both the I (h) and D (5h) cage-isomers Of SC3N@C-80 by high-temperature reaction of the metallic nitride fullerenes with gaseous CF3I has resulted in the isolation Of SC3N@(C-80-I (h))(CF3)2 and SC3N@(C-80-D (5h))(CF3)(2), which have idealized C-2 and C-s symmetry, respectively. Both new compounds were characterized by F-19 NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and quantum-chemical calculations at the DFT level of theory, and the I h cage derivative was also characterized by cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate that both compounds have a p -C-6(CF3)(2) hexagon with endohedral Sc atoms bonded to the sp(2) cage C atoms para to the sp(3) cage C-6(CF3) atoms.