In Situ Laser-Furnace TOF Mass Spectrometry of C₃₆and the Large-Scale Production by Arc-Discharge

A greatly improved synthesis of C 36, obtained as its hydrides C 36 H 4 and C 36 H 6 and oxyhydrides C 36 H 4 O and C 36 H 6 O, via a high- temperature laser vaporization (laser-furnace) method and the conventional DC arc-discharge method is reported. We have found that doping metal catalysts such as Ni/Co or Ni/Y into the laser target graphite rod or the DC arc-discharge electrode, respectively, significantly enhanced the production of C 36 species; the methods have been known for efficient production methods of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The results suggest that the catalytic formation of C 36 species and SWNTs is closely related with each other in their early stage of formation. Furthermore, a molecular C 36 H 6 gives C 18 H 3 ( m / z = 219) as a magic fragment upon desorption/ionization. By using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), C 36 H 6 was purified (99%) in milligram quantity for the first time. The purified C 36 H 6 exists as a cluster-assembled material such as oligomers or clusters in the solid state, not as a molecular crystal such as C 60 .