Chemical reactivities of endohedral metallofullerenes

We describe the first chemical derivation of endohedral metallofullerenes giving the corresponding exohedral adducts. For example, mass spectrometry and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy provide evidence for the formation of chemical derived La@C-82 with disilirane (disilacyclopropane). An interesting salient feature of La@C-82 is discovered. Although disilirane does not add thermally onto the empty fullerenes such as C-60 and C-82, a facile thermal addition to La@C-82 takes place. Other derivatives of metallofullernes will also be discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.