The odd-numbered carbon clusters C
119
, C
129
, and C
139
have been observed in the mass spectra of toluene extracts of fullerene soots and of the products of ozone-fullerene reactions. Specifically, ozone-C
60
reactions yield C
119
, ozone-C
70
reactions yield C
139
, and ozone-(C
60
/C
70
) reactions produce C
119
, C
129
, and C
139
. These unexpected species correspond to dimers of C
60
, C
60
/C
70
, and C
70
, respectively, less one carbon atom, and are stable gas-phase ions with behavior similar to that of fullerenes. The results suggest a new route to functionalization and derivatization of fullerenes through controlled ozone-catalyzed cage-opening reactions.
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