Direct α-alkylation of carbonyl compounds represents a fundamental bond forming transformation in organic synthesis. We report the first ketone-alkylation using olefins and alcohols as simple alkylating agents catalyzed by graphene oxide. Extensive studies of the graphene surface suggest a pathway involving dual activation of both coupling partners. Notably, we show that polar functional groups have a stabilizing effect on the GO surface, which results in a net enhancement of the catalytic activity. The method represents the first alkylation of carbonyl compounds using graphenes, which opens the door for the development of an array of protocols for ketone functionalization employing common carbonyl building blocks and readily available graphenes.
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Highly Conductive and Transparent Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanoscale Films via Thermal Conversion of Polymer-Encapsulated Graphene Oxide Sheets
- Award ID(s):
- 1655740
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10057730
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Volume:
- 10
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1944-8244
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 3975 to 3985
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation