Gas phase fullerene anions hydrogenation by methanol followed by IRMPA dehydrogenation.

The characterization in the gas phase of the mechanisms responsible for hydride formation can contribute to the development of new materials for hydrogen storage. The present work provides evidence of a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation catalytic cycle for C(60)(*-) anions in the gas phase using methanol vapor at room temperature as hydrogen donor. The involvement of methanol in the reaction is confirmed by experiments using CD(3)OD and CD(3)OH. C(60) hydride anions with up to 11 hydrogen atoms are identified via elemental composition analysis using FT-ICR mass spectrometry. For the longer reaction times, partial conversion of the C(60) hydride ions into oxygen containing ion products occurs. Dehydrogenation using infrared multiphoton activation with a CO(2) laser restores the C(60)(*-) anions. 2010 American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.