A research group led by Associate Professor Keito Mitsuru, Osaka University Graduate School, is the first in the world to succeed in developing a highly active and durable liquid-phase hydrogenation catalyst using inexpensive and low-toxic iron, which is abundant in nature. did.The development of next-generation catalytic reaction processes that do not use rare metals is expected.
Iron is abundant in the Earth's crust and is an attractive catalytic material due to its low cost and low toxicity, but its activity in hydrogenation reactions is extremely low under mild liquid-phase reaction conditions below 200°C.Further, conventional iron catalysts are easily oxidized and deactivated even in the presence of trace amounts of oxygen.Therefore, it is difficult to handle and improve the catalyst, and progress in the development of iron-based solid catalysts has been significantly delayed.
This time, the research group synthesized iron phosphide nanoparticles (Fe2P NCs), which are made from iron phosphide, which is composed of iron and phosphorus, using a proprietary technology.We have discovered that these iron phosphide nanoparticles can be used as a solid catalyst that exhibits high activity and durability for the industrially important nitrile hydrogenation reaction at low temperatures below 200°C.
Also, unlike conventional iron catalysts, iron phosphide nanoparticles are stable in the atmosphere and easy to handle, making it easy to improve the catalyst.Therefore, when iron phosphide nanoparticles were composited with titanium oxide (TiO2), the hydrogenation ability of iron phosphide nanoparticles was significantly improved.By hydrogenating nitrile using this iron catalyst (Fe2P NC/TiO2), we succeeded in selectively synthesizing various amines that are important as polymer raw materials and pharmaceutical intermediates.Furthermore, the catalyst after the reaction could be easily separated from the reaction solution by centrifugation, and could be reused while maintaining high activity.
The results of this research suggest the possibility of replacing rare metals, which are currently used in many catalytic reaction processes and whose use is feared to be restricted due to depletion or toxicity, with inexpensive iron, which is abundant in nature. There is.
Paper information:[Nature Communications] Iron phosphide nanocrystals as an air-stable heterogeneous catalyst for liquid-phase nitrile hydrogenation
