Synthesis of tetrathiafulvalene-containing zirconium(IV) pincers and metallocavitands for hosting fullerenes

The synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of zirconium(IV) dicarboxylate 1 and metallocavitand 2 are described. Encapsulation studies of fullerenes C60 and C70 were performed using UV-Vis spectroscopy in chlorobenzene, toluene, benzene, carbon disulfide and in a mixture of toluene/dichloromethane. UV-Vis titrations have shown that the binding abilities of the hosts toward fullerene C70 are considerably higher than those obtained for fullerene C60.158