Non-chromatographic purification of endohedral metallofullerenes

Abstract

The purification of endohedral metallofullerenes by high performance liquid chromatography is very time-consuming and expensive. A number of rapid and inexpensive non-chromatographic methods have thus been developed for large-scale purification of metallofullerenes. In this review, we summarize recent advances in non-chromatographic purification methods of metallofullerenes. Lewis acid-based complexation is one of the most efficient and powerful methods for separation of metallofullerenes from empty fullerenes. The first oxidation potential of metallofullerenes is a critical factor that affects the separation efficiency of the Lewis acid-based method. Supramolecular methods are effective for separation of fullerenes and metallofullerenes that are different in size and shape. Chemical/electrochemical reduction and exohedral functionalization are also utilized to separate and purify metallofullerenes on a large scale.