Halogenation and butylation of diamond surfaces by reactions in organic solvents

Hydrogenated diamond powder was chlorinated by treatment with sulfuryl chloride in chloroform at 50 degrees C. The disappearance of C-H stretching peaks showed that most of the hydrogen was substituted by chlorine in this procedure. The chlorinated diamond was then reacted with butyllithium dissolved in tetrahydrofuran at 30 degrees C. Butyl groups incorporated onto the diamond surface were decomposed by flash pyrolysis at temperatures between 255 and 1040 degrees C, and all organic fragments were recovered. The fraction of butylated surface carbons to total surface carbons was calculated to be 0.055. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.