Abstraction of hydrogen atoms on diamond surface using benzoyl peroxide as a radical initiator

The chemical reaction of diamond surfaces was performed in various solvents, such as toluene, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran (THF), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), cyclohexane, and n-hexane, using benzoyl peroxide as a radical initiator. Radical species generated from benzoyl peroxide abstracted the hydrogen atoms on the diamond surface. The reaction rate depended on the type of the solvent. However, the same functional groups were synthesized on all the reacted diamond surfaces except for the diamond surface reacted in acetonitrile. When toluene was used as the solvent, the intensity of the peaks assigned to the C-H bond decreased with increasing the reaction time, and decreased with increasing amounts of benzoyl peroxide added. The reaction rates for the abstraction of hydrogen atoms on diamond surfaces were calculated from the experimental results. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.