With the participation of the, a new methodology for the production of metal catalysts has been proposed

Reactions catalyzed by copper are of key importance for the synthesis of a wide variety of useful organic compounds. In industry, the production of copper (II) chloride, one of the main precursors of copper catalysts, is based on the treatment of copper ore with gaseous chlorine or oxygen at 300–400 °C. Catalyst activation often involves the reduction of copper salts to low valence metals or nanoparticles. Thus, metallic copper is converted into salts and again reduced to metal by reducing agents or ligands. These steps inevitably generate a significant amount of unwanted waste and reduce the efficiency of the process for producing catalytically active copper particles.

In a joint study by St. Petersburg State University and the ZIOC under the supervision of Academician V.P. Ananikov a new methodology for the use of metallic copper in organic synthesis was developed. A copper electrode was used as a source of copper in various catalytic reactions. When an electric current was passed, the catalyst was dissolved, after which the target process was carried out in the usual way. It should be noted that after isolation of the target products by changing the polarity of the electrodes, the catalyst can be regenerated and reused without loss of activity. Obtaining a catalyst from a metal electrode can provide unique opportunities in the field of catalysis.

The article published as a result of the study was selected by the editors of the journal in 2022 HOT Green Chemistry article.

Source:

Konstantin S. Rodygin, Dmitriy E. Samoylenko, Marina M. Seitkalieva, Kristina A. Lotsman, Svetlana A. Metlyaeva, Valentine P. Ananikov Generation, regeneration, and recovery of Cu catalytic system by changing the polarity of electrodes. Green Chem., 2022, 24, 1132-1140. DOI: 10.1039/d1gc03975j.