Cyclotrimerization of alkynes with [60]fullerene in the presence of tricyclohexylphosphine

Abstract

Treatment of [60]fullerene with HC≡CCO2R in the presence of P(Cy)3 at ambient temperature affords a cyclotrimerization product (R=Et, 1; Me, 2) which results from a head-to-tail addition of two HC≡CCO2R units to a 6-6 ring junction of [60]fullerene based on the observed spectral data.