Claisen Rearrangement of Graphite Oxide: A Route to Covalently Functionalized Graphenes†
William R. Collins, Wiktor Lewandowski, Ezequiel Schmois, Joseph Walish,
Timothy M. Swager
Angewandte Chemie, Article first published online:
8 AUG 2011
DOI: 10.1002/ange.201101371

The Swager group has reported electrocyclic reactions on the surface of an activated form of graphite. This conversion and subsequent transformations produces highly stable solutions of single sheets of graphene with carboxylate groups. These robust functional graphenes are highly conductive and are an attractive platform for the development of electronic, catalytic, and structural materials.

Drs. Omar K. Ahmad and Stephen P. Lathrop of the Movassaghi group have developed an efficient and convergent strategy for the directed and stereocontrolled assembly of carbon–carbon linked heterodimeric hexahydropyrroloindoles. The stepwise union of complex amines in the form of mixed diazenes followed by photoexpulsion of dinitrogen in a solvent–cage provides completely guided assembly at challenging C_sp3–C_sp3 and C_sp3–C_sp2 connections.