  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.
