Nanomaterials are highly tunable systems whose properties depend not only on shape and size, but also on chemical composition, defects, and surface states. While modification to surface moieties, or functionalization, is used to alter the physical, chemical, and electronic properties of many carbonaceous systems, it is rarely explored in nanometal oxides. Here, we show that small molecules, such as p-xylene and toluene, can be covalently bound to the surface of copper oxide nanosheets vastly altering their hydrophobicity as well as their optical and catalytic properties. XPS, FTIR, and computational modelling reveal how these molecules bind to the surface. Increases in contact angle correlate well with binding strength of adsorbates and the preservation of the benzene ring. TGA and H2 TPR show that neither surface coverage, nor binding energy is strictly correlated with increases in stability suggesting that other factors may play a role in the catalytic activity of these functionalized species. This work takes the first step towards understanding how to attach molecules to the surface of nanometal oxides and how these adsorbates can be used to tune their properties.