FULLERENE CATION AND DICATION PRODUCTION BY NOVEL THERMAL-ENERGY REACTIONS OF HE+, NE+, AND AR+ WITH C-60

The reactivity of buckminsterfullerene C60, With the rare gas ions He+, Ne+ and Ar+ has been examined in a selected-ion flow tube (SIFT) at 294 +/- 2 K. All three ions are observed to undergo charge transfer to C60. The reactions of He+ and Ne+ also produce substantial amounts of C-60(2+) in unprecedented charge transfer electron detachment reactions. Dissociative charge transfer processes, although expected to be exothermic in some cases, were not observed in any instance. Possible mechanisms are discussed for the production of doubly charged ions in these systems.