Patent ID: 7939581

Claim:
A process for producing a substrate having a functionalised surface, which process comprises: (a) contacting the substrate with a carbene precursor, which carbene precursor is selected from a compound of the following formula (III): wherein A is an aryl or heteroaryl ring; p is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; R 1 is selected from hydrogen, aryl which is unsubstituted or substituted, heteroaryl which is unsubstituted or substituted, C 1 -C 10 alkoxy which is substituted or unsubstituted, C 1 -C 10 alkylamino which is substituted or unsubstituted, di(C 1 -C 10 )alkylamino which is substituted or unsubstituted, C 1 -C 10 alkylthio which is substituted or unsubstituted, and C 1 -C 10 alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted and which is optionally interrupted by N(R 2 ), O or S wherein R 2 is H or C 1 -C 6 alkyl; Q is selected from —N(Z 1 )(Z 2 ) and —CH 2 —V—(W—R) n ; Z 1 and Z 2 are independently selected from aryl which is unsubstituted or substituted, heteroaryl which is unsubstituted or substituted, C 1 -C 10 alkoxy which is substituted or unsubstituted, C 1 -C 10 alkylamino which is substituted or unsubstituted, di(C 1 -C 10 )alkylamino which is substituted or unsubstituted, C 1 -C 10 alkylthio which is substituted or unsubstituted, and C 1 -C 10 alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted and which is optionally interrupted by N(R 2 ), O or S wherein R 2 is H or C 1 -C 6 alkyl; V is -alk, —O-alk-, -alk-O— or -Oalk-O—, wherein alk is C 1 -C 10 alkylene; W is a functional group of one of the following formulae (a) to (c): wherein X is O, S or NH 2 + ; and R is selected from H, C 1 -C 6 alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted, aryl which is unsubstituted or substituted and heteroaryl which is unsubstituted or substituted; and n is 1, 2 or 3; and a compound of the following formula (IV): wherein each of A and B, which are the same or different, is an aryl or heteroaryl ring; each of Q and Q 2 , which are the same or different, is —N(Z 1 )(Z 2 ) or —CH 2 —V—(W—R) n , wherein Z 1 , Z 2 , V, W, R and n are as defined above for formula (III); and each of p and r, which are the same or different, is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; (b) generating a carbene reactive intermediate from the carbene precursor so that it reacts with the substrate to functionalise the surface, thereby yielding an activated substrate; and (c) further functionalising the activated substrate obtained in (b).