Fullerene molecular surgery

Alternatively, fullerenes can be opened through so-called molecular surgery... 

If the orifice of an open-cage fullerene encapsulating a guest species can be completely closed while retaining the guest inside, the molecular surgery approach toward the synthesis of endohedral fullerenes is actualized. In 2005, Komatsu and co-workers reported such closure of the orifice of H2 56 by a four-step sequence of... 

Komatsu and coworkers developed a new process for the insertion of small molecules into fullerenes [146], In this process, referred to as molecular surgery", the fullerene is opened, a small molecule is inserted and the fiiUerene is reclosed. Using this procedure, they were able to synthesize Cgo with a single molecule of H2 trapped inside (H2 Cgo in the parlance of fiiUerene chemistry). 

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