Purification of Uranium-based Endohedral Metallofullerenes (EMFs) by Selective Supramolecular Encapsulation and Release

Identifier:  imarina:5610846

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina5610846

Authors:  Fuertes-Espinosa, C; Gómez-Torres, A; Morales-Martínez, R; Rodríguez-Fortea, A; García-Simón, C; Gándara, F; Imaz, I; Juanhuix, J; Maspoch, D; Poblet, JM; Echegoyen, L; Ribas, X

Abstract:
© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Supramolecular nanocapsule 1⋅(BArF)8 is able to sequentially and selectively entrap recently discovered U2@C80 and unprecedented Sc2CU@C80, simply by soaking crystals of 1⋅(BArF)8 in a toluene solution of arc-produced soot. These species, selectively and stepwise absorbed by 1⋅(BArF)8, are easily released, obtaining highly pure fractions of U2@C80 and Sc2CU@C80 in one step. Sc2CU@C80 represents the first example of a mixed metal actinide-based endohedral metallofullerene (EMF). Remarkably, the host–guest studies revealed that 1⋅(BArF)8 is able to discriminate EMFs with the same carbon cage but with different encapsulated cluster and computational studies provide support for these observations.