Reactions of [60]Fullerene with Halides and Amino Acids to Synthesize Fulleropyrrolidines

The reactions of [60] fullerene with benzyl chlorides and amino acids in chlorobenzene (PhCl) were investigated. Fulleropyrrolidines bearing ArCH moieties originating from the corresponding benzyl chlorides through C-Cl bond cleavage were obtained from these reactions. Use of PhCl/DMSO instead of PhCl as the solvent significantly improved the reaction efficiency. A detailed investigation of these reactions resulted in the discovery of other halides - such as allyl chloride, methallyl chloride, cinnamyl chloride, propargyl bromide, ethyl bromoacetate, bromoacetonitrile, bromomethane, bromopropane and bromobutane - that could also react with [60] fullerene and amino acids to produce fulleropyrrolidines. This reaction could be an alternative to the Prato reaction for synthesizing fulleropyrrolidines when aldehydes are expensive or unavailable from commercial sources. A plausible reaction mechanism for product formation involving C-X bond cleavage in the halide to form the aldehyde is proposed.