Volume 58, Issue 8 pp. 2266-2271
Communication

Aromatic Azide Transformation on the Ag(111) Surface Studied by Scanning Probe Microscopy

Dr. Jack Hellerstedt

Dr. Jack Hellerstedt

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Aleš Cahlík

Aleš Cahlík

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic

Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelû 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Oleksander Stetsovych

Dr. Oleksander Stetsovych

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, 305-0047 Japan

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Dr. Martin Švec

Dr. Martin Švec

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic

Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelû 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic

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Dr. Tomoko K. Shimizu

Dr. Tomoko K. Shimizu

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, 305-0047 Japan

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Dr. Pingo Mutombo

Dr. Pingo Mutombo

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic

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Jiří Klívar

Jiří Klívar

Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic

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Dr. Irena G. Stará

Dr. Irena G. Stará

Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic

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Dr. Pavel Jelínek

Corresponding Author

Dr. Pavel Jelínek

Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic

Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelû 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic

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Dr. Ivo Starý

Corresponding Author

Dr. Ivo Starý

Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic

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First published: 02 January 2019
Citations: 10

Graphical Abstract

Coupling therapy with silver: Under ultrahigh vacuum, aryl azides generate an elusive chemisorbed nitrenoid intermediate on Ag(111). This intermediate can transform by forming covalent σ- and π-bonds via a formal nitrene insertion into a C−H bond, dimerisation, or hydrogenation. The structure of the transformation products was elucidated by high-resolution nc-AFM imaging supported by first-principle calculations.

Abstract

Chemical transformation of 9-azidophenanthrene on the Ag(111) surface was studied by nc-AFM in UHV. High-resolution imaging supported by first-principle calculations revealed the structure of the final products that originated from a common and elusive 9-phenanthryl nitrenoid intermediate chemisorbed on the Ag(111) surface. A formal nitrene insertion into the C−H bond along with its dimerisation and hydrogenation were identified as main reaction channels. Thus, the ability of aryl azides to form covalent σ- and π-bonds between their transformation products on a solid surface was demonstrated at a single-molecule level.

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