Chemical Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbon Nitrides Using Hard Templates and Their Use as a Metal‐Free Catalyst for Friedel–Crafts Reaction of Benzene

In the footsteps of Liebig and Berzelius: A material first synthesized in 1834, carbon nitride (C3N4), was synthesized in a graphitic mesoporous form by using silica nanoparticles as templates. The resulting electron-rich solid is an active catalyst for the Friedel–Crafts acylation of benzene with hexanoyl chloride. Presumably the catalysis arises from a shift of electron density from the MOs of the catalyst to the unoccupied orbitals of benzene (see picture). Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2006/z600412_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting…