Reaction of C60, C70, C76, C78, and C84 with ozone at 23.5°C

C60, C70, C76, C78, and C84 dissolved in toluene, were treated at 23.5°C with ozone. The concentrations of all five fullerenes decreased with increasing dose of ozone, but C60, C76, C78, and C84 transformed significantly faster than C70. Oxides of C60 and C70, but not of the other fullerenes, were observed in the ozonated solutions. We assume that all five fullerenes form molozonides, which swiftly lose molecular oxygen to form oxides. We assume further that the molozonide always forms at an interpentagonal bond. The π-bond orders calculated by Taylor for such bonds may explain the faster ozonation of C76, C78, and C84, but probably not of C60. We suggest that the “equatorial belt” of 15 hexagons of C70, with its relatively high π density may be the cause for the slower rate of ozonation of C70.