One-pot synthesis of Au@SiO(2) catalysts: a click chemistry approach

Using the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition "click" reaction, a library of triazole amphiphiles with a variety of functional polar "heads" and hydrophobic or superhydrophobic "tails" was synthesized. The amphiphiles were evaluated for their ability to stabilize small Au nanoparticles, and, at the same time, serve as templates for nanocasting porous SiO2. One of the Au@SiO2 materials thus prepared was found to be a highly active catalyst for the Au nanoparticle-catalyzed regioselective hydroamination of alkynes.