Easy Access to Water-Soluble Fullerene Derivatives via 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Azomethine Ylides to C60.

Fullerenes show promise as biological agents against microorganisms provided the proper selectivity and solubility can be enhanced through functionalization. The authors present a method to increase the water solubility of fullerenes and they evaluate the effectiveness of these compounds for effectiveness in killing bacteria and fungus.