Chemistry:Metallofullerene
In chemistry, a metallofullerene is a molecule composed of a metal atom trapped inside a fullerene cage. Simple metallofullerenes consist of a fullerene cage, typically C80, with one or two metal atoms trapped inside. Recently, research has produced metallofullerenes that enclose small clusters of atoms, such as Sc3N@C80, Y3N@C80, and Sc3C2@C80. The '@' symbol in the formula indicates that the atom(s) are encapsulated inside the cage, rather than being chemically bonded to it.
Fullerenes in a variety of sizes have been found to encapsulate metal atoms in this way.
Medical applications
One particular metallofullerene with gadolinium at its core is up to 40 times better as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging scans for diagnostic imaging.[citation needed] Metallofullerenes may also provide ways to carry therapeutic radioactive ions to cancerous tissue.[1][2]
See also
References
- ↑ "Support for top-down theory of how 'buckyballs' form". KurzweilAI. http://www.kurzweilai.net/support-for-top-down-theory-of-how-buckyballs-form.
- ↑ Zhang, J.; Bowles, F. L.; Bearden, D. W.; Ray, W. K.; Fuhrer, T.; Ye, Y.; Dixon, C.; Harich, K. et al. (2013). "A missing link in the transformation from asymmetric to symmetric metallofullerene cages implies a top-down fullerene formation mechanism". Nature Chemistry 5 (10): 880–885. doi:10.1038/nchem.1748. PMID 24056346. Bibcode: 2013NatCh...5..880Z.
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