Intercalation of alcohols methanol, ethanol and isopropanol into fullerene C60 lattice

New non-covalent intermolecular fullerene system containing discrete C-60 and alcohol molecules have been prepared from the saturated solutions of fullerene in toluene with ethanol, methanol and isopropanol. The formation of intercalates with alcohols R-OH subset of C-60 (R = C-1-C-3) has not been described in the literature yet. Pure intercalates R-OH subset of C-60 were obtained in the direct synthesis of C-60 in toluene with R-OH (methanol, ethanol and isopropanol). UV and IR spectra of C2H5-OH subset of C-60 and C3H7-OH subset of C-60 showed no change compared to the pristine C-60. However, IR spectrum of the methanol intercalate contains additional peaks at 2920 and 3400 cm(-1). There has also been no change in their diffraction images concerning the d-values (the diffractograms of powder), indicating that the compounds are isostructural with C-60. The appearance of a very intensive d(101) peak in the powder diffractogram of the methanol derivative indicates that stacking disorder is probably eliminated, which can be correlated to the additional bands in IR spectrum. Intermolecular interactions (of the type that exists in supramolecular systems) between C-60 and alcohol molecules C-1-C-3 exist because of the specific energy surfaces of C-60 molecule (the consequence of its electronic, vibrational and rotational properties) and the size, inductive, spatial and geometrical characteristics of intercalants (alcohols), The size and shape of the alcohols which form intercalates with C-60 is such that they nicely fit within the intermolecular distances of C-60 molecules (0.293 nm) in a hexagonal lattice. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.