A new combination of a Fe (II) complex supported on multi walled carbon nanotubes with microwave radiation in a solvent-free medium resulted in an eco-friendly procedure with ketone yields over 98% (up to 6 consecutive cycles) and TONs up to 1.8 x 103.
Selective alcohol oxidation reactions are some of the cornerstones of Chemistry and remain an important challenge. Despite recent advances, only a few of the known methods are capable of offering an economic and practical oxidation towards a particular industrially important transformation. Thus, the development of practical and sustainable catalytic methods, that can mimic Nature’s green procedures, is a task of extreme significance nowadays.
This catalysis process produces the same results as other more “aggressive” methods, but with fewer catalyst quantities, less additives, less oxidants and no solvents at all. It also requires less reaction time (just 1 hour) and is easier to prepare.
The catalyst is reusable for several cycles, easy to separate from the reagents and produces fewer by-products. It is more active in the oxidation of aliphatic alcohols, and, while being a heterogeneous catalyst, as selective and active as the homogeneous ones.
Overall, this new method is less expensive, more productive and environmentally greener than conventional ones.
Ketones have practical applications such as industrial solvents, as diluents in lacquers, paints and plastics, in the textile industry, in wool and for cleaning. Other uses of ketones are in synthetic fibers, car interiors, additives for plastics, fragrances and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and synthetic supplements such as vitamins, etc.
This technology is useful for chemical companies, namely ketones producers, and fine chemistry companies, that normally do not use many catalysts. Their activity results, therefore, in many by-products (up to 100Kg per 1Kg of final product) and a large ecological footprint.
KET-CAT adds a cost saving, green chemistry perspective to this sector.
