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Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Utilizing the Ethylene-releasing Compound, 2-Chloroethylphosphonic Acid, as a Tool to Study Ethylene Response in Bacteria
Published on: November 10, 2016
A Molecular Compound for Highly Selective Purification of Ethylene
Anurag Noonikara-Poyil1, Hui Cui2, Andrey A Yakovenko3
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA.
Abstract:
Purification of C2 H4 from an C2 H4 /C2 H6 mixture is one of the most challenging separation processes, which is achieved mainly through energy-intensive, cryogenic distillation in industry. Sustainable, non-distillation methods are highly desired as alternatives. We discovered that the fluorinated bis(pyrazolyl)borate ligand supported copper(I) complex {[(CF3 )2 Bp]Cu}3 has features very desirable in an olefin-paraffin separation material. It binds ethylene exclusively over ethane generating [(CF3 )2 Bp]Cu(C2 H4 ). This molecular compound exhibits extremely high and record ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) C2 H4 /C2 H6 gas separation selectivity, affording high purity (>99.5 %) ethylene that can be readily desorbed from separation columns. In-situ PXRD provides a "live" picture of the reversible conversion between [(CF3 )2 Bp]Cu(C2 H4 ) and the ethylene-free sorbent in the solid-state, driven by the presence or removal of C2 H4 . Molecular structures of trinuclear {[(CF3 )2 Bp]Cu}3 and mononuclear [(CF3 )2 Bp]Cu(C2 H4 ) are also presented.
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