title: Linear alkane polymerization on a gold surface.
abstract: In contrast to the many methods of selectively coupling olefins, few protocols catenate saturated hydrocarbons in a predictable manner. We report here the highly selective carbon-hydrogen (C-H) activation and subsequent dehydrogenative C-C coupling reaction of long-chain (>C(20)) linear alkanes on an anisotropic gold(110) surface, which undergoes an appropriate reconstruction by adsorption of the molecules and subsequent mild annealing, resulting in nanometer-sized channels (1.22 nanometers in width). Owing to the orientational constraint of the reactant molecules in these one-dimensional channels, the reaction takes place exclusively at specific sites (terminal CH(3) or penultimate CH(2) groups) in the chains at intermediate temperatures (420 to 470 kelvin) and selects for aliphatic over aromatic C-H activation.
authors: Physikalisches Institut, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors: Dingyong
authors: D
authors: Zhong
authors: Jörn-Holger
authors: JH
authors: Franke
authors: Santhosh Kumar
authors: SK
authors: Podiyanachari
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Blömker
authors: Haiming
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Gerald
authors: G
authors: Kehr
authors: Gerhard
authors: G
authors: Erker
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Fuchs
authors: Lifeng
authors: L
authors: Chi