ABSTRACT
Since the discovery of fullerenes in 1985, different research fields in fundamental science and nanotechnology have investigated this unique carbon nanomaterial. The family of this allotropic form of carbon consists of cage-like molecules with a spheroid shape. Owing to the convex shape of the wall of C60, all the 30 double bonds, located exocyclic to the pentagons, are strained and thus more reactive than formal double bonds in aromatic compounds. Highly reactive free carbene species can be considered as reactants for cycloaddition to form methanofullerenes. A very important characteristic of fulleropyrrolidines is high stability. Retro-cycloaddition reactions, although reported, have to be carried out under harsh conditions, such as high temperatures while trapping the ylide with a metal and a dipolarophile, or by microwave irradiation in ionic liquids. The most used nucleophilic synthesis reaction to form fullerenes is cyclopropanation. Pyrrole-based macrocyclic assemblements were utilized as functionalizing units for fullerenes.
