Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: A Lever for C–H Functionalization

The past decade has seen the development of a new reactivity concept, exploiting the ubiquity of C–H bonds. The direct activation of this bond type brings forth a straightforward way for the derivatization of organic molecules. Consequently, the design of metal catalyzed C–H bond functionalization reactions has become a flourishing area in organic synthesis. Thus, this review focuses on molecular transformation of “unactivated” C(sp 3 )–H and C(sp 2 )–H bonds present in feedstock and readily available hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals by nanoparticle-leveraged C–H activation, resulting in more sustainable approaches for industrial applications. The distinctive reactivity properties of these nanoentities lead to remarkable reactivity specificities depending on the type of surface sites and the structure dynamics, directly impacting the process selectivity.