Benzyl bromides have been widely used for fullerene functionalization. However, the use of benzyl chlorides, a more affordable but less reactive counterpart of benzyl bromides, has been rarely reported. Herein, a new metal-mediated benzylation of C60 with benzyl chlorides is presented. In this method, with the combinatorial use of Mn powder and Cu(OAc)2, various benzyl chloride derivatives could react with C60 to afford 1,4-dibenzylated products in 12–53% yields. A mechanistic study by in situ visible near infrared (vis-NIR) spectroscopy and various control experiments suggests that, unlike the conventional anionic pathway that uses benzyl bromides, the transition-metal-mediated benzylation of C60 with benzyl chlorides proceeds via a metal-mediated iterative single electron transfer process.
