Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.: Catalytic Dealkylation of Ethers to Alcohols on Metal Surfaces

Title:

Catalytic Dealkylation of Ethers to Alcohols on Metal Surfaces

Authors:

Institutions:

¹Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (P. R. China)

 ²Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 (USA)

Abstract:

On-surface synthesis has prompted much interest in recent years because it provides an alternative strategy for controlling chemical reactions and allows for the direct observation of reaction pathways. Herein, we combined scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory to provide extensive evidence for the conversion of alkoxy-benzene-containing ethers into alcohols by means of surface synthesis. The reported dealkylation reactions are finely controlled by the annealing parameters, which govern the onset of successive alkyl chains dissociations. Moreover, density functional theory calculations elucidate the details of the reaction pathways, showing that dealkylation reactions are surface-assisted and very different from their homogeneous analogues in solution.

IF:

11.709

Link:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201602414/epdf