“Holy Grail” found for catalytic alkane activation

An organic catalyst offers chemists precise control over a vital step in activating hydrocarbons

Alkanes are crucial for many processes in chemical industry. A team of researchers has now found an elegant method to make the rather inert molecules more easily accessible.

Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan and at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung have made a significant breakthrough in organic chemistry by developing a novel method to activate alkanes, which are compounds that play a crucial role in the chemical industry. The new technique, published in Science, makes it easier to convert these building blocks into valuable compounds, offering advances in the production of medicines and cutting-edge materials.

Alkanes are a primary component of fossil fuels and are also vital building blocks in the production of various chemicals and materials, such as plastics, solvents, and lubricants. But their strong carbon-carbon bonds make them quite stable and inert, presenting a challenge for chemists trying to convert them into useful compounds. To address this issue, scientists have focused on cyclopropanes, a specific type of alkane with a ring structure that makes them more reactive than other alkanes.

Read more about this exciting project on the website of Hokkaido University.