EFFICIENT HPLC PURIFICATION OF ENDOHEDRAL METALLOFULLERENES ON A PORPHYRIN-SILICA STATIONARY PHASE

Endohedral metallofullrenes are among the most fascinating materials to emerge from ongoing efforts to produce and characterize closed-cage carbon compounds. In this paper, we describe the use of a new tetraphenylporphyrin-silica support material for efficient HPLC purification of the metallofullerenes from crude soot extract. The true single-stage separation from pyridine extracts demonstrates the unique chemical selectivity exhibited by employing [pi]-electron-rich tetraphenylporphyrin-silica stationary phases in chemical purifications. 18 refs., 3 figs.