Metallofullerene Explained

In chemistry, a metallofullerene is a molecule composed of a metal atom trapped inside a fullerene cage.

Simple metallofullerenes consist of a fullerene cage, typically, with one or two metal atoms trapped inside. Recently, research has produced metallofullerenes that enclose small clusters of atoms, such as,, and . The '@' symbol in the formula indicates that the atom(s) are encapsulated inside the cage, rather than being chemically bonded to it.

Fullerenes in a variety of sizes have been found to encapsulate metal atoms in this way.

Medical applications

One particular metallofullerene with gadolinium at its core is up to 40 times better as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging scans for diagnostic imaging. Metallofullerenes may also provide ways to carry therapeutic radioactive ions to cancerous tissue.^{[1] [2]}

See also

• Endohedral fullerene

Notes and References

1. Web site: Support for top-down theory of how 'buckyballs' form . KurzweilAI . 2013-09-28.
2. Zhang . J. . Bowles . F. L. . Bearden . D. W. . Ray . W. K. . Fuhrer . T. . Ye . Y. . Dixon . C. . Harich . K. . Helm . R. F. . Olmstead . M. M. . Balch . A. L. . Dorn . H. C. . 10.1038/nchem.1748 . A missing link in the transformation from asymmetric to symmetric metallofullerene cages implies a top-down fullerene formation mechanism . Nature Chemistry . 5 . 10 . 880–885 . 2013 . 24056346. 2013NatCh...5..880Z .