Dangers of Purple C60
Toluene + Carbon 60 Makes Purple
Pure, unadulterated C60 is BLACK.C60 is only ever “purple” (or “magenta”) when it has interacted with hydrocarbon solvents such as Toluene.In other cases, it may be yellow, green, pink, or brown, depending on which solvent is used (see Fig. 1). The color change in C60 in various solutions is the result of “solvation shells,” which are formed between the solute (C60) and solvent when they interact. This interaction changes the electrophysical properties of the C60 molecules, causing them to aggregate (i.e., cluster) into crystal formations of various shapes and sizes.It is these crystal formations of aggregated C60 which reflect specific wavelengths of light and which result in “color.”
Solvent-Extracted C60
Since the electrophysical properties of the C60 are permanently altered from having interacted with a solvent, this C60 remains in an aggregated, crystallized state, even after the solvent has been vaporized off. Additionally, some solvent also remains behind, being both chemically bonded to and physically trapped within the C60 molecules. Hence, re-dissolving this clustered solid Carbon 60 power mixed into oil will still produce a color change. It is evidence of crystallized, aggregated C60 from solvent extraction methods.
Since Greska’s Carbon 60 is produced thru a completely solvent-free process, does NOT crystallize and hence does NOT produce a color when immediately immersed in a solvent such as Toluene. But, our powder can and does crystallize after 3 weeks of soaking in Toluene, producing a characteristic purple solution.
Optical Properties of C60 Fullerene in Different Organic Solvents
Olive Oil or any Oil does not contribute to the purple color.
The scientific facts are that solvents and Carbon 60 molecules exhibit different colors.
In this experiment, the color of the C60 solution in both the toluene and xylene solvents turned purple, and it was a darker purple in the TCE (Trichloroethylene), as seen in Figure 2.
Citation Information:
Open Chemistry, Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 1198–1212, eISSN 2391-5420, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/chem-2019-0117.
© 2019 Teguh Endah Saraswati et al., published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License. BY 4.
Solvent Molecules in Crystalline C60
Eugueni V. Skokan,*,† Victor I. Privalov,‡ Igor V. Arkhangel’skii,† Vladimir Ya. Davydov,† and Nadezhda B.Tamm†
Conclusions The results of the study of the series of C60 samples prepared by various methods allowed us to draw the following conclusions. (1) The molecules of solvent are not incorporated into the crystal lattice of C60, but rather are adsorbed at the interfaces of microcrystals. (2) “Sintering” of the microcrystals upon heating is assumed to be responsible for entrapping some of the solvent molecules in the sample. This may be the reason solvents cannot be completely removed by vacuum heating of samples of C60.
