Characterisation of the UV, visible and near-IR spectra of the fulleride anions C 60 1– , C 60 2– and C 60 3– , and theoretical analysis of the spectra of C 60 1+ , C 60 0 , C 60 1– , C 60 2– and C 60 3– by self consistent field-Xα-scattered-wave (SCF-Xα-SW) calculations

The spectra of the electrogenerated C602–, and C603– ions reveal intense near-IR absorption bands similar to those observed in C601–; theoretical analysis of the spectra of C60zspecies (z= 1+, 0, 1-,2-,3-) by SCF-Xα-SW calculations provides an explicit interpretation of the strong bands in the UV region, and establishes the nature of the characteristic near-IR bands observed for the cationic and anionic species.