Beyond Wingtips: Backbone Alkylation Affects the Orientation of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes on Gold Nanoparticles

Key Points

• To examine how backbone alkylation influences the orientation of N-heterocyclic carbenes in self-assembled monolayers on metal surfaces.
• Investigated orientation of N-heterocyclic carbene-based self-assembled monolayers on gold nanoparticles.
• Analyzed the effect of different wingtip groups and backbone alkylation.
• Utilized various metal surfaces for comparison.
• Found that backbone alkylation significantly alters N-heterocyclic carbene orientation.
• Demonstrated that specific wingtip groups influence self-assembled monolayer formation.
• Revealed potential for optimizing SAMs on gold nanoparticles for improved applications.