"Copper-in-charcoal" revisited: delineating the nature of the copper species and its role in catalysis

"Copper-in-charcoal" has been shown to be a versatile catalytic source of supported copper for a variety of important synthetic transformations, as well as in other fields such as energy. We herein report the characterization of this material and the implications that its preparation has on catalysis, thus providing a greater understanding of the scope and limitations of this catalyst system. (Chemical Equation Presented).