Site-Independent Hydrogenation Reactions on Oxide-Supported Au Nanoparticles Facilitated by Intraparticle Hydrogen Atom Diffusion.

Metal-support interactions have been widely utilized for optimizing the catalytic reactivity of oxide-supported Au nanoparticles. Optimized reactivity was mainly detected with small (1-5 nm) oxide-supported Au nanoparticles and correlated to highly reactive sites at the oxide-metal interface. However, catalytically active sites are not necessarily restricted to the interface but reside as well on the Au surface.

Using silyl protecting group to enable post-deposition C-C coupling reactions of alkyne-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene monolayers on Au surfaces.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) were functionalized with a triisopropylsilyl (TIPS)-protected alkyne group and self-assembled on Au films to enable post-deposition functionalization by C-C coupling reactions. The TIPS group efficiently protected the alkyne and prevented its deprotonation during surface-anchoring of NHC. Sonogashira C-C coupling reactions were performed on the Au film in high yield following removal of the TIPS group, demonstrating that post-deposition coupling reactions can be employed to widen the chemical scope of surface-anchored NHCs.