A group at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering discovered that by using boron (a component of stone) as a catalyst, the reaction of connecting carbon monoxide to form a hydrocarbon chain (a component of petroleum) proceeds at room temperature. ..

 This reaction is significant because it is a key step of the FT method (Fischer-Tropsch method), which is also used for artificial petroleum synthesis. The FT method is a reaction to form a hydrocarbon chain from synthetic gas, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and is known as a process of producing synthetic oil as a substitute for petroleum.Syngas is generally made from coal or natural gas and water, but it can also be obtained from carbon dioxide and hydrogen, so the FT method is attracting attention as a key technology for producing artificial petroleum from carbon dioxide. ..

 However, as a drawback, the FT method uses heavy metals such as iron and cobalt as catalysts and requires high temperature and high pressure reaction conditions (at least 200 ° C or higher), so it consumes a lot of energy.While the development of a more efficient FT method is desired, in this study, by combining a boron compound instead of using heavy metals at all, the extension of the carbon chain, which is the key reaction of the FT method, proceeds at room temperature. I found that.

 At present, it is not a perfect alternative to the FT method catalyst, but by coexisting with a substance having a bond of hydrogen and boron, carbon monoxide is continuously inserted into the bond of carbon and boron to form a hydrocarbon chain. The findings of this finding indicate a new direction for catalyst design that is different from the past.

 In the future, it is expected that research will accelerate toward the development of a sustainable process for producing oil from carbon dioxide.

Paper information:[Journal of the American Chemical Society] Heavy Metal-Free Fischer-Tropsch Type Reaction: SequentialHomologation of Alkylborane Using a Combination of CO and Hydrides as Methylene Source

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