Isomeric Higher and Smaller Fullerenes: A Profound Enthalpy/Entropy Interplay

Abstract

ABSTRACTComputations of isomeric fullerenes are performed at semiempirical and ab initio quantum-chemical levels: C36, C72, C88. C36 fullerenes and quasi-fullerenes are computed at the SAM1 level, and then at the B3LYP/6-31G* level. Altogether 598 cages are considered. The SAM1 method is also applied to C72, i.e., the solitary isolated-pentagon-rule (IPR) structure and several non-IPR isomers. Finally, the complete set of thirty five topologically different IPR isomers of C88 is computed. In all the cases, energetics is combined with entropy contributions based on the harmonic-oscillator and rigid-rotator model. Considerable temperature effects on the relative stabilities in the systems are found. Relationships to available observed data are discussed throughout and a good agreement is found.