Carbocatalysis: From Acetylene Trimerization to Modern Organic Synthesis. A Review

In recent years, the topic of catalysis by carbon materials (carbocatalysis) has experienced rapid growth. Every year the scope of application of carbocatalysts is expanding swiftly, spreading to areas in which metal catalysts seemed to have no alternative until recently. Due to their structural diversity and functionalization possibilities, carbon materials offer almost limitless possibilities for creating various catalytically active sites. It is of crucial importance to understand the mechanisms of action of chemically active sites of carbocatalysts for the development of this field. The latest discoveries have unveiled the complexity of this topic and the need to take into account the effects associated with the simultaneous presence of various active sites on the surface of carbon materials. Despite the significant advances in modern research in the field of carbocatalysis, it is important to remember the origins of the use of carbon materials in catalysis. New methods of studying old and almost forgotten reactions often lead to very interesting discoveries. This review focuses on the historical development of ideas about the catalytic activity of carbon materials, modern concepts of the mechanisms of carbocatalytic reactions, and recent studies of the role of carbene centers of graphene materials in catalytic processes.