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Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Synthesis and Functionalization of Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanotube Cups with Gold Nanoparticles as Cork Stoppers
Published on: May 13, 2013
Gold nanoparticle-catalysed functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds by carbene transfer reactions
Jonathan Martínez-Laguna1, Andrés Mollar-Cuni2, David Ventura-Espinosa2
1Laboratorio de Catálisis Homogénea, Unidad Asociada al CSIC CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Química. Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen s/n, 21007-Huelva, Spain. perez@dqcm.uhu.es.
Abstract:
Gold nanoparticles stabilized by NHC ligands and supported onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) catalyse the functionalization of cyclohexane and benzene C-H bonds upon insertion of carbene CHCO2Et (from N2CHCO2Et) groups. This is the first example in which such Csp3-H or Csp2-H bonds are functionalized with this strategy with nanoparticulated gold. This Au-NP@rGO material shows an exceptional activity, providing TON values 5-10 times higher than those already reported for molecular gold catalysts. Recyclability is also effective, reaching an accumulated TON value of 1400 after six consecutive uses.
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