Electrochemical Flow Reactors in High Value Chemical Manufacturing
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Sch of Chemistry
Abstract
Context of research: Electrochemistry has made substantial advances in synthetic organic chemistry methods over the past 20 years. It has allowed chemists to run difficult chemical reactions without the use of expensive, and often toxic, metal catalysts. Despite these, standardised reactors and techniques are still the major obstacles preventing wider development and application of these reactions in synthetic processes.
Aims and objectives: In this project, standardised and open-access electrochemical flow reactors (EFRs) will be developed for application in organic reactions. Once built and validated, the reactors will be used to develop a series of three novel reactions with significant synthetic importance: (i) C-H activation/amination, (ii) catalytic Wittig reaction, and (iii) Ni(III) catalysed coupling reaction.
Potential applications and benefits: The project delivers the following benefits: (i) enabling technology to facilitate development and adoption of electrochemical reaction in synthetic science in wider academia and industry; (ii) more sustainable processes with simpler product purification, less waste, and easier to scale-up; (iii) important novel reactions which will have significant impact in synthetic technology.
Research areas: Flow chemistry, electrochemistry
Qualification to be attained: PhD degree in Organic Chemistry
Aims and objectives: In this project, standardised and open-access electrochemical flow reactors (EFRs) will be developed for application in organic reactions. Once built and validated, the reactors will be used to develop a series of three novel reactions with significant synthetic importance: (i) C-H activation/amination, (ii) catalytic Wittig reaction, and (iii) Ni(III) catalysed coupling reaction.
Potential applications and benefits: The project delivers the following benefits: (i) enabling technology to facilitate development and adoption of electrochemical reaction in synthetic science in wider academia and industry; (ii) more sustainable processes with simpler product purification, less waste, and easier to scale-up; (iii) important novel reactions which will have significant impact in synthetic technology.
Research areas: Flow chemistry, electrochemistry
Qualification to be attained: PhD degree in Organic Chemistry
| Description | The project began by replicating another scientist's work and attempted to move it into another type of chemical reactor. We initially began by replicating the reactions from the paper but found that there was a disparity in the yield we achieved and what was noted. We then moved the reaction into a smaller reactor type and hoped that this would improve our reaction outcomes. However, the reaction did not go the way it was represented in the paper we followed and therefore after 15 months of work we decided the project had come to its natural end and it wasn't going to be possible to use this specific reactor for this reaction. We have found a way of utilising zinc (an underutilised metal in organic synthesis) from another scientist's work and applied it to a number of interesting chemical transformations. It has been shown to be an easy method, and we have found success thus far in 3 different reaction types and has created a variety of interesting molecules, and we are looking to expand that to as many as possible. A lot of these transformations are usually done with expensive precious metal catalysts (palladium, rhodium, iridium) so this use of zinc significantly cuts the cost of the reaction, making it very financially viable. It has also been interesting to note that we have compared this method to an industry standard (2 reactions) and has been found in both cases to outperform this which is very exciting and promising. |
| Exploitation Route | As previously mentioned, many bond forming chemical reactions are facilitated by using precious metal catalysts (platinum, iridium) which in turn require specific ligands which themselves are often complex and expensive. The use of zinc in lieu of these metal catalyst could significantly cut the costs of chemical manufacturing on a small-medium scale. This could potentially be applied to large scale operations but this has yet to be tested; the method would have to be adapted for large scale operations which may change the reactor shape/size. Others may use this method as a way of avoiding the highly dangerous commercially available zinc methods to run desired reactions in a safer way. |
| Sectors | Chemicals |