OCCURRENCE AND FRAGMENTATION OF HIGH-MASS FULLERENES

Extracts of graphitic soot are shown by electron attachment mass spectrometry to contain, in addition to the well-known fullerenes C60 and C70, smaller quantities of large carbon clusters, up to C200. A structure for one of the more abundant clusters, C76, is proposed. The data show the conspicuous absence of particular clusters. The relative stabilities of C60, C70 and C84 were investigated by charge exchange and collision activated dissociation experiments. All the fullerene ions showed remarkable stability to fragmentation. At the highest collision energies accessible, fragmentation of C70(2+) and C70- produced a series of products from C2 loss, including the conspicuous formation of C60 ions.