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Updated: Jul 29, 2025

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Alkane Solvent-Derived Acylation Reaction Driven by Electric Fields
Xiye Wang1, Boyuan Zhang2, Brandon Fowler1
1Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States.
Abstract:
Electric field acceleration of alkyl hydroperoxide activation to acylate amines in the scanning tunneling microscope-based break-junction is reported. Alkyl hydroperoxide mixtures, generated from hydrocarbon autoxidation in air, were found to be competent reagents for the functionalization of gold surfaces. Intermolecular coupling on the surface in the presence of amines was observed, yielding normal alkylamides. This novel mode of alkyl hydroperoxide activation to generate acylium equivalents was found to be responsive to the magnitude of the bias in the break junction, indicating an electric field influence on this novel reactivity.
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