Single crystal X-ray structure of tetrahedral C60F36: the most aromatic and distorted fullerene

Abstract

Tetrahedral C₆₀F₃₆ is shown by its single-crystal X-ray structure to be the most aromatic (and distorted) fullerene derivative, having four planar hexagons with almost equal bond lengths, the average of which (1.373 Å) is the same as in C₆₀F₁₈; one exceptionally long FC–CF bond (1.665 Å) corresponds to the similarly long bond in C₆₀F₁₈ (a motif of T C₆₀F₃₆) and is likely to be the site of oxygen insertion in C₆₀F₃₆O