Contrary to aliphatic amines, aromatic amines have received less attention for surface modification by oxidation due to the low acidity of their cation radicals. To overcome this limitation, bases are often added into the solution to facilitate or to make the grafting possible. However, there has only been a modest focus on their impact on the grafting efficiency. Here, the anodic behavior of a series of para-substituted anilines was investigated in the presence of different bases to address this issue. From complete sets of Brønsted acidity/basicity data and H-bond acidity/basicity factors for both para-substituted anilines and bases, a grafting efficiency index was proposed as a practical tool to choose the most suitable base for the grafting. As a proof-of-concept for base-assisted grafting of aromatic amines, two aniline/base systems were tested to modify carbon surfaces at lower potential, compared to the modification achieved from pure aniline solutions.
The Cover Feature illustrates the role of nitrogen bases in the oxidation of aniline compounds and the possibility to use such bases to make the grafting of aromatic amines easier through H‐bonding and deprotonation steps. The prediction of such interactions helps to establish guiding principles to rationalize the choice of the most suitable base for the grafting. More information can be found in the Communication by C. Anex et al. on page 4963 in Issue 19, 2019 (DOI: 10.1002/celc.201900979).
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