Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.134, No.39, 16103-16106, 2012
Stabilizing Ion and Radical Ion Pair States in a Paramagnetic Endohedral Metallofullerene/pi-Extended Tetrathiafulvalene Conjugate
Electron donor-acceptor conjugates of paramagnetic endohedral metallofullerenes and pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) were synthesized, characterized, and probed with respect to intramolecular electron transfer involving paramagnetic fullerenes. UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy complemented by electrochemical measurements attested to weak electronic interactions between the electron donor, exTTF, and the electron acceptor, La@C-82, in the ground state. In the excited state, photoexcitation powers a fast intramolecular electron transfer to yield an ion and radical ion pair state consisting of one-electron-reduced La@C82 and of one-electron-oxidized exTTF.