Politecnico di Milano scientists have developed a sunlight-activated catalyst that effectively drives esterification responses, lowering the use of uncommon metals and using more sustainable chemical synthesis. This advancement, featured in Nature Synthesis, holds the potential in saving resources and reducing ecological impacts. Credit: Polytechnic University of Milan
A new discovery by the Polytechnic University of Milan opens new point of views in the field of sustainable chemical synthesis, promoting ingenious solutions that allow chemicals to be produced in a more effective and eco-friendly way. The findings were recently published in the journal Nature Synthesis.
Utilizing the innovative strategy of distributing isolated atoms on carbon nitride supports, the team developed a driver that is more selective and active in esterification responses. This is an important response in which carboxylic acids and bromides are combined to form items used in the manufacture of medications, food additives, and polymers.
The innovative function of this brand-new catalyst is that it reduces the use of rare metals, a considerable step towards saving important resources and making processes more sustainable. In addition, the driver can be triggered by sunshine, eliminating the requirement for energy-intensive approaches. This discovery holds enormous potential in minimizing dependence on finite resources and lowering the environmental effect of catalytic procedures.
Professor Gianvito Vilé, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Giulio Natta Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering, collaborated the task, while Mark Bajada, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Polytechnic University of Milan, is the first author of the paper. The research study was conducted in close collaboration with researchers from the University of Milan Bicocca and the University of Turin, and was moneyed by the European Commission through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Horizon Europe job just recently granted to the Polytechnic University of Milan (SusPharma).
Recommendation: “Light-driven C– O coupling of carboxylic acids and alkyl halides over a Ni single-atom driver” by Mark A. Bajada, Giovanni Di Liberto, Sergio Tosoni, Vincenzo Ruta, Lorenzo Mino, Nicolò Allasia, Alessandra Sivo, Gianfranco Pacchioni and Gianvito Vilé, 15 June 2023, Nature Synthesis.DOI: 10.1038/ s44160-023-00341-3.