0000000000186375
AUTHOR
Bianca K. Muñoz
Catalytic Functionalization of Methane and Light Alkanes in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
International audience; The development of catalytic methods for the effective functionalization of methane yet remains a challenge. The best system known to date is the so-called Catalytica Process based on the use of platinum catalysts to convert methane into methyl bisulfate with a TOF rate of 10−3 s. In this contribution, we report a series of silver complexes containing perfluorinated tris(indazolyl)borate ligands that catalyze the functionalization of methane into ethyl propionate upon reaction with ethyl diazoacetate (EDA) by using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as the reaction medium. The employment of this reaction medium has also allowed the functionalization of ethane, prop…
Silver-Catalyzed C-C Bond Formation between Methane and Ethyl Diazoacetate in Supercritical CO2
Even in the context of hydrocarbons’ general resistance to selective functionalization, methane’s volatility and strong bonds pose a particular challenge. We report here that silver complexes bearing perfluorinated indazolylborate ligands catalyze the reaction of methane (CH4) with ethyl diazoacetate (N2CHCO2Et) to yield ethyl propionate (CH3CH2CO2Et). The use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as the solvent is key to the reaction’s success. Although the catalyst is only sparingly soluble in CH4/CO2 mixtures, optimized conditions presently result in a 19% yield of ethyl propionate (based on starting quantity of the diazoester) at 40°C over 14 hours.