Chemistry with Graphene and Graphene Oxide - Challenges for Synthetic Chemists Siegfried Eigler* and Andreas Hirsch* Dr. Siegfried Eigler*, Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch* Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy and Institute of Advanced Materials and Processes (ZMP) Henkestrasse 42, 91054 Erlangen and Dr.-Mack Strasse 81, 90762 Fürth (Germany) Fax: (+49) 911-6507865015 E-mail:
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[email protected] The chemical production of graphene as well as its controlled wet- chemical modification is a challenge for synthetic chemists and the characterization of reaction products requires sophisticated analytic methods. In this review we first describe the structure of graphene and graphene oxide. We then outline the most important synthetic methods which are used for the production of these carbon based nanomaterials. We summarize the state-of-the-art for their chemical functionalization by non-covalent and covalent approaches. We put special emphasis on the differentiation of the terms graphite, graphene, graphite oxide and graphene oxide. An improved fundamental knowledge about the structure and the chemical properties of graphene and graphene oxide is an important prerequisite for the development of practical applications. 1. Introduction: Graphene and Graphene Oxide – Opportunities and Challenges for Synthetic Chemists Research into graphene and graphene oxide (GO) represents an emerging field of interdisciplinary science spanning a variety of disciplines including chemistry, physics, materials science, device fabrication and