Lehrstuhl für Anorganische Chemie II - Katalysatordesign, Sustainable Chemistry Centre, Universität Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Science. 2022 Mar 4;375(6584):1021-1024. doi: 10.1126/science.abm5281. Epub 2022 Mar 3.
α-Olefins are important starting materials for the production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, and fine and bulk chemicals. However, the selective synthesis of α-olefins from ethylene, a highly abundant and inexpensive feedstock, is restricted, and thus a broadly applicable selective α-olefin synthesis using ethylene is highly desirable. Here, we report the catalytic reaction of an α-olefin with two ethylene molecules. The first ethylene molecule forms a 4-ethyl branch and the second a new terminal carbon-carbon double bond (C2 elongation). The key to this reaction is the development of a highly active and stable molecular titanium catalyst that undergoes extremely fast β-hydride elimination and transfer.
α-烯烃是生产塑料、制药和精细及大宗化学品的重要起始原料。然而，由乙烯（一种丰富且廉价的原料）选择性合成α-烯烃受到限制，因此使用乙烯实现广泛适用的选择性α-烯烃合成是非常理想的。在此，我们报告了一种α-烯烃与两个乙烯分子的催化反应。第一个乙烯分子形成 4-乙基支链，第二个乙烯分子形成新的末端碳-碳双键（C2 伸长）。该反应的关键是开发一种高活性和稳定的分子钛催化剂，该催化剂经历极快的β-氢化物消除和转移。
