Catalytic epoxidation of C60 using Mo(O)2(acac)2/(t)BuOOH.

Highly oxygenated fullerenes, C(60)O(n) with 1 ≤ n ≤ 13, have been prepared by the Mo(O)(2)(acac)(2) catalysed oxidation of C(60) with (t)BuOOH. Increasing the catalyst : C(60) ratio or increasing the reaction temperature increases the yield as well shifting the product distribution to higher oxygenated products, in contrast, increasing the (t)BuOOH concentration shifts the product distribution in the opposite manner. The MALDI mass spectra of reactions containing the highest oxygenated products (n > 5) show additional peaks (not observed for C(60) under the same MS conditions) due to the cage-opened products C(x) (x = 54, 56, 58) along with their oxygenated derivatives, C(x)O(n) (x = 54, 56, 58; n = 1-3).