Petroleum-derived alkenes are cheap and abundant, and serve as feedstock for a variety of products ranging from plastics to complex pharmaceuticals. An issue that has hampered the use of this feedstock, however, is that alkenes are often produced as mixtures of regioisomers in which the carbon-carbon double bond is located at different positions across the backbone. Such mixtures are difficult to selectively convert into a single product — they typically yield multiple products that must be separated.
Chemists at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) have developed a process that reacts mixtures of alkenes with carbon dioxide over a nickel-based catalyst to produce a single fatty acid. The new process operates at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
▲ Toni Moragas (left) and Francisco Juliá-Hernández have developed a nickel catalyst that can convert mixtures of alkenes into single fatty acids. Image courtesy of ICIQ...
Would you like to access the complete CEP News Update?
No problem. You just have to complete the following steps.
You have completed 0 of 2 steps.
-
Log in
You must be logged in to view this content. Log in now.
-
AIChE Membership
You must be an AIChE member to view this article. Join now.
Copyright Permissions
Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.
