Electrochemical and chemical reduction of pyridyl-substituted pyrrolidinofullerenes

Using cyclic voltammetry, it is shown that formal reduction potentials of pyridyl-substituted pyrrolidinofullerenes are shifted to negative values as compared with formal potentials of the corresponding redoxtransitions of C60, which indicates weakening of the acceptor properties of the fullerene fragment. NIR spectrophotometric and EPR spectroscopic studies show that cis-2′,5′-di-(4-pyridinyl)pyrrolidino-[3′,4′:1,2][60]fullerene is reduced with 1,8-diazobicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene and morpholine to give a radical anion.