Diels-Alder reactions of the [60]fullerene functionalizing a carbon sphere with flexibly and with rigidly bound addends

Abstract The regioselective functionalization of the [60]fullerene ( 1 ) (buckminsterfullerene) by way of [4+2]-cycloaddition reactions (Diels-Alder reactions) has given synthetic access to exohedrally derivatized fullerenes, with either flexibly or rigidly bound addends. The binding of the addends to the central carbon sphere can be made effectively irreversible by subsequent addition reactions at their double bond.