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Published on: November 27, 2015
A General Strategy for the Degradation of Nitrile-Containing Plastics and Rubbers via Nickel-Catalyzed Decyanation
Chenfei Liu1,2, Marius D R Lutz1, Rin Seki1
1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Abstract:
Nitrile-containing polymers feature extensively in consumer products and industry, yet efficient catalytic upcycling strategies remain underexplored. Herein, we report a general catalytic degradation strategy that enables the transformation of diverse nitrile-containing polymers via a tandem process combining nickel-catalyzed decyanation with ruthenium-catalyzed ethenolysis. This strategy enables cyano group removal and recycling into value-added nitrile compounds without releasing highly toxic cyanide species. Moreover, the process can be performed in a one-pot manner by employing ethylene as both the cyano group acceptor and the metathesis partner, thereby streamlining the degradation process, enhancing overall efficiency, and increasing potential for industrial adoption.
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