Furandicarboxylic Acid (FDCA): Electrosynthesis and Its Facile Recovery From Polyethylene Furanoate (PEF) via Depolymerization.

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable, bio-based alternatives is inevitable for the modern chemical industry, in line with the 12 principles of green chemistry. 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a promising platform molecule that can be derived from 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) via sustainable electrochemical oxidation. Herein, we demonstrate TEMPO-mediated electrooxidation of HMF to FDCA in ElectraSyn 2.

Synthesis and Application of Robust Spiro [Fluorene-9] CAAC Ruthenium Alkylidene Complexes for the "One-Pot" Conversion of Allyl Acetate to Butane-1,4-diol.

A series of a novel CAAC ligands featuring a spiro-fluorene group have been synthesized and complexed with ruthenium alkylidenes, yielding the corresponding Hoveyda-type derivatives as a new family of olefin metathesis catalysts. The novel complexes have been characterized by XRD, HRMS and NMR measurements. The synthetised complexes were tested in catalysis and showed good activity in olefin metathesis, as demonstrated on diethyl diallylmalonate and allyl acetate substrates.

"Inverted" Cyclic(Alkyl)(Amino)Carbene (CAAC) Ruthenium Complex Catalyzed Isomerization Metathesis (ISOMET) of Long Chain Olefins to Propylene at Low Ethylene Pressure.

Isomerization Metathesis (ISOMET) reaction is an emerging tool for "open loop" chemical recycling of polyethylene to propylene. Novel, latent N-Alkyl substituted Cyclic(Alkyl)(Amino)Carbene (CAAC)-ruthenium catalysts (5a-Ru, 3b-Ru - 6c-Ru) are developed rendering "inverted" chemical structure while showing enhanced ISOMET activity in combination with (RuHCl)(CO)(PPh) (RuH) double bond isomerization co-catalyst. Systematic investigations reveal that the steric hindrance of the substituents on nitrogen and carbon atom adjacent to carbene moiety in the CAAC ligand have significantly improved the catalytic activity and robustness.

Making Persistent Plastics Degradable.

The vastness of the scale of the plastic waste problem will require a variety of strategies and technologies to move toward sustainable and circular materials. One of these strategies to address the challenge of persistent fossil-based plastics is new catalytic processes that are being developed to convert recalcitrant waste such as polyethylene to produce propylene, which can be an important precursor of high-performance polymers that can be designed to biodegrade or to degrade on demand. Remarkably, this process also enables the production of biodegradable polymers using renewable raw materials.