Graphene Oxide Catalyzed C-H Bond Activation: The Importance of Oxygen Functional Groups for Biaryl Construction

A heterogeneous, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly graphene oxide catalytic system for the C-H bond arylation of benzene enables the formation of biaryl compounds in the presence of aryl iodides. The oxygen functional groups in these graphene oxide sheets and the addition of KOtBu are essential for the observed catalytic activity. Reactions with various model compounds and DFT calculations confirmed that these negatively charged oxygen atoms promote the overall transformation by stabilizing and activating K+ ions, which in turns facilitates the activation of the C-I bond. However, the graphene system also greatly facilitates the overall reaction as the aromatic coupling partners are easily adsorbed.