Comparison of photoinduced electron transfer reactions of C60 and aromatic carbonyl compounds

The one-electron reduction potential of the triplet excited state of C60 is similar to those of some aromatic carbonyl compounds. Thus, photoinduced electron transfer is expected to occur from the common electron donors to both C60 and aromatic carbonyl compounds. In this paper comparison is made between photoinduced electron transfer from organosilanes and organostannanes used as the electron donors to the triplet excited states of C60 and aromatic carbonyl compounds, providing valuable insight into their common mechanistic features for the C-C bond formation via photoinduced electron transfer as well as the new functionalization method of C60.