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Related Concept Videos

Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes02:35

Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes

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The conversion of alkenes to macromolecules called polymers is a reaction of high commercial importance. The structure of the polymer is defined by a repeating unit, while the terminal groups are considered insignificant. The average degree of polymerization represents the number of repeating units in the polymer molecule and is denoted by the subscript n.
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Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation02:24

Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

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Introduction
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.
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Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Friedel–Crafts Alkylation of Benzene01:17

Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Friedel–Crafts Alkylation of Benzene

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Friedel–Crafts reactions were developed in 1877 by the French chemist Charles Friedel and the American chemist James Crafts. Friedel–Crafts alkylation refers to the replacement of an aromatic proton with an alkyl group via electrophilic aromatic substitution. A Lewis acid catalyst such as aluminum chloride reacts with an alkyl halide to form a carbocation. The resulting carbocation then reacts with the aromatic ring and undergoes a series of electron rearrangements before giving the...
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Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation01:28

Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation

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Unlike the easy catalytic hydrogenation of an alkene double bond, hydrogenation of a benzene double bond under similar reaction conditions does not take place easily. For example, in the reduction of stilbene, the benzene ring remains unaffected while the alkene bond gets reduced. Hydrogenation of an alkene double bond is exothermic and a favorable process. In contrast, to hydrogenate the first unsaturated bond of benzene, an energy input is needed; that is, the process is endothermic. This is...
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Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview01:13

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview

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Recently, the development of olefin metathesis polymerization advanced the field of polymer synthesis. Simply put, the reorganization of substituents on their double bonds between two olefins in the presence of a catalyst is known as the olefin metathesis reaction. The use of metathesis reaction for polymer synthesis is called olefin metathesis polymerization.
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists...
2.1K
Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes03:08

Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes

8.1K
In addition to the oxymercuration–demercuration method, which converts the alkenes to alcohols with Markovnikov orientation, a complementary hydroboration-oxidation method yields the anti-Markovnikov product. The hydroboration reaction, discovered in 1959 by H.C. Brown, involves the addition of a B–H bond of borane to an alkene giving an organoborane intermediate. The oxidation of this intermediate with basic hydrogen peroxide forms an alcohol.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Efficient Synthesis of Polyfunctionalized Benzenes in Water via Persulfate-promoted Benzannulation of &#945;,&#946;-Unsaturated Compounds and Alkynes
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Efficient Synthesis of Polyfunctionalized Benzenes in Water via Persulfate-promoted Benzannulation of α,β-Unsaturated Compounds and Alkynes

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Recycling Valuable Alkylbenzenes from Polystyrene through Methanol-Assisted Depolymerization.

Lin Zeng1, Tao Yan1, Junjie Du1

  • 1Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Strongly-Coupled Quantum Matter Physics, Key Laboratory of Surface and Interface Chemistry and Energy Catalysis of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|April 8, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Chemical recycling of polystyrene (PS) using methanol as a hydrogen source efficiently depolymerizes PS into valuable alkylbenzenes. This process offers a sustainable alternative to landfilling and traditional recycling methods.

Keywords:
alkylbenzenesmethanol assisted depolymerizationpolystyrene

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A Simple and Efficient Protocol for the Catalytic Insertion Polymerization of Functional Norbornenes
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A Simple and Efficient Protocol for the Catalytic Insertion Polymerization of Functional Norbornenes
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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Polystyrene (PS) plastic waste poses significant environmental challenges due to its persistence in landfills.
  • Traditional recycling methods like incineration and mechanical recycling have limitations in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate a novel chemical recycling method for polystyrene using methanol as a hydrogen supplier.
  • To achieve efficient depolymerization of PS into valuable liquid products.

Main Methods:

  • Depolymerization of polystyrene using methanol as a hydrogen supplier (PS-MAD) over a heterogeneous catalyst (Ru nanoparticles on SiO2).
  • Optimization of reaction conditions including temperature (280°C) and time (6 hours).
  • Analysis of liquid product composition and yield.

Main Results:

  • Achieved a high yield of liquid products (93.2 wt%) from virgin PS.
  • Obtained a high production rate of 118.1 mmol carbon per gram of catalyst per hour.
  • Identified valuable alkylbenzenes (monocyclic aromatics and diphenyl alkanes) constituting 84.3 wt% of the liquid products.
  • Mechanistic studies indicated methanol decomposition as the primary hydrogen source, suppressing unwanted PS aromatization.

Conclusions:

  • Methanol-assisted depolymerization (PS-MAD) is an effective chemical recycling pathway for polystyrene.
  • The process yields valuable alkylbenzenes, offering a sustainable route for plastic waste valorization.
  • The use of methanol as a hydrogen donor minimizes the formation of undesirable by-products.