Methane and higher alkane analogues constitute Natural gas, a by-product from oil well. If not converted to fuel, these gases are released to the atmosphere as such and are wasted. A path-breaking technology has been developed to convert these alkanes into useful chemical intermediates.
The carbon–hydrogen bonds in alkanes, particularly those at the terminal carbon having 3 hydrogen atoms, are very hard to “crack” if you want to replace the hydrogen atoms with other atoms. Methane (CH4) and ethane (CH3CH3) are made up, exclusively, of such tightly bound hydrogen atoms. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a team of researchers has now described how they break these bonds while forming new carbon–nitrogen bonds (amidation).
Although there has been some success in the functionalization of heavy hydrocarbons, even at the end positions, the particularly strong C–H bonds of light alkanes, especially methane, can hardly be split at all. The use of these primary components of natural gas as synthetic building blocks is especially desirable, as it would allow for the use of this often-wasted side-product of oil extraction.
A team comprised of scientists at Universidad de Huelva, Spain, and University of California, Berkeley, USA, has now successfully coupled amides (nitrogen-containing organic compounds) to light alkanes with loss of a hydrogen atom. The products of these dehydrogenative amidations are known as N-alkyl amides.
Propane, n-butane, and iso-butane gave similar results. In the light alkanes, reactivity correlates significantly more strongly with the dissociation energy of the C–H bonds than in higher alkanes.
And methane? Even the toughest candidate—amidation of methane has never previously been observed—could be coupled to the amide. Isotopic experiments were used to prove that methane reacts to form N-methylbenzamide.
If this technology is commercially exploited, it would be possible to synthesize complex organic molecules much more conveniently and directly from petroleum gases. This strategy could also provide more pathways for recycling plastic waste. The formation of carbon–nitrogen bonds is of particular interest because these also play an important role in natural products.
Reference:
Angew. Chemie, 2021, 133, 1-6 https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1172006
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has amended the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation, EU 64/2012, to add 27 pesticides and eight industrial chemicals into Annex I, bringing the total to 295. As a result, EU exporters are now required to notify their intentions to export them from 1 November onwards.
The global custom synthesis and manufacturing market was valued at US$271.33 billion in 2022. The market value is expected to reach US$474.94 billion by 2028.
The ocean freight industry is undergoing a massive transformation, as the technology and supply chain management tools are being improved by the day, impacting ocean freight rates.
In the second half of 2022, China unveiled the details of its data export regulations, providing further explanations to its existing laws and regulations on data.
The current energy crisis has reached an unsustainable level for the European chemical industry. For the first time ever, the EU imports more chemicals than it exports, both in volume and value, resulting in a trade deficit of € 5.6 bn for the first half of 2022.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (also referred to as hormone disruptors or EDCs) are synthetic chemicals that are not produced by the human body and that disrupt the normal functioning of humans and animals.
The shipping industry is now returning to normality and is in a downward spiral. The cost of shipping goods from China has slumped to the lowest level in more than two years as the world economy stumbles, dimming prospects for container carriers that turned in record profits during the pandemic.
No precipitous plunge in container shipping rates, just ‘orderly’ decline.
The global food and beverage market size is expected to grow from $5.8 trillion in 2021 to $6.4 trillion in 2022 at a growth rate of 9.7%. The food and beverage market size is expected to grow to $8.9 trillion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.7%.