UNPRECEDENTED PROTON-TRANSFER TO AMMONIA FROM FULLERENE DICATIONS DERIVATIZED WITH AMMONIA

Results of selected-ion flow tube experiments are reported for ion/molecule reactions initiated by C60(2+) and C70(2+) in ammonia which show unprecedented proton-transfer reactions with ammonia when these cations are derivatized with ammonia. C60NH32+ and C70NH32+ transfer a proton to NH3 with rate coefficients greater-than-or-equal-to 1.2 x 10(-9) and 0.7 x 10(-9) cm3 molecule-1 cm-1 respectively, at 294 K in helium at 0.35 Torr. Analogous reactions were observed with C60(NH3)2(2+) and C70 (NH3)2(2+). Possible structures are given for the derivatized ions CxNH32+ and Cx(NH3)2(2+) (x = 60, 70) and the ions CxNH2+ and CxN2H5+ formed from them by proton transfer.