Publication Date:
2014-10-07
Description:
Graphene oxide (GrO) prepared by the Hummers method was separated into three different fractions (GrO 5000 , GrO 2000 , and GrO res ) on the basis of their dispersion stability in the water. Infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance , X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy , and elemental analyses revealed that GrO 5000 possesses a high degree of oxygen functionalities including phenolic, carboxylic, and −OSO 2 H groups, compared with the other fractions. The GrO 5000 was found to be a highly efficient and reusable solid catalyst for the esterification of various carboxylic acids with a variety of alcohols to furnish corresponding esters in high to excellent yields. The catalytic activity of the GrO 5000 was attributed to the ability of highly polar GrO 5000 scaffold to adsorb/attract reactants, where the acid functionalities of GrO 5000 facilitated the esterification process efficiently. The chemical and structural features of GrO 5000 were discussed to understand the improved catalytic activity compared with GrO 2000 and conventional solid acid catalysts. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Graphene oxide (GrO) prepared by the Hummers method was fractionally distributed on the basis of their dispersion stability in water, and then, the catalytic activities of GrO fractions were explored for esterification reaction. The presence of acidic functionalities in GrO along with its excellent dispersibility in reaction media was found to afford high catalytic conversion. The chemical and structural features of GrO have been discussed to understand the catalytic activity.
Print ISSN:
0894-3230
Electronic ISSN:
1099-1395
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Physics
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