Preparation and characterisation of an equatorial para-adduct of (PhCH2)HC70 from the reaction of C70(2-) with benzyl bromide and H2O: addition effects in the polar and equatorial regions of C70.

Benzyl(hydro)[70]fullerene regioisomers with the addends in both the equatorial and polar regions of C(70) have been prepared via the reaction of dianionic C(70) with benzyl bromide and H(2)O. HRMS, UV-vis, (1)H, (13)C, HMQC (heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence) and HMBC (heteronuclear multiple bond coherence) NMR characterisations have shown that the addition in the equatorial region of C(70) affords a new (PhCH(2))HC(70) regioisomer with para-positioned addends across a six-membered ring, which is different from the "polar" regioisomers where the addends have an ortho-addition pattern. (1)H NMR characterisations have shown a much stronger shielding effect for the addends in the equatorial region with respect to the counterparts in the polar region of C(70), while cyclic voltammetry study has shown a surprising positive shift for the first reduction potential of the equatorial regioisomer with respect to those of the polar regioisomer and pristine C(70), suggesting that the equatorial region of C(70) is rather electropositive than electronegative. D(2)O experiment has shown a significant difference of the deuterated product distribution between the equatorial and polar regioisomers, which can be justified by the different acidity of the (PhCH(2))HC(70) regioisomers. Computational calculations have been carried out to rationalize the formation of the C(70)HR regioisomers.