Department of Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
College of Engineering, Hebei Normal University, Hebei, 050024, China.
Nat Commun. 2023 May 26;14(1):3057. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38888-6.
Cyclohexanone oxime, an important nylon-6 precursor, is conventionally synthesized through cyclohexanone-hydroxylamine (NHOH) and cyclohexanone ammoxidation methodologies. These strategies require complicated procedures, high temperatures, noble metal catalysts, and toxic SO or HO usage. Here, we report a one-step electrochemical strategy to synthesize cyclohexanone oxime from nitrite (NO) and cyclohexanone under ambient conditions using a low-cost Cu-S catalyst, avoiding complex procedures, noble metal catalysts and HSO/HO usage. This strategy produces 92% yield and 99% selectivity of cyclohexanone oxime, comparable to the industrial route. The reaction undergoes a NO → NHOH→oxime reaction pathway. This electrocatalytic strategy is suitable for the production of other oximes, highlighting the methodology universality. The amplified electrolysis experiment and techno-economic analysis confirm its practical potential. This study opens a mild, economical, and sustainable way for the alternative production of cyclohexanone oxime.
环己酮肟是一种重要的尼龙-6 前体，通常通过环己酮-羟胺（NHOH）和环己酮氨氧化方法合成。这些策略需要复杂的程序、高温、贵金属催化剂和使用有毒的 SO 或 HO。在这里，我们报告了一种在环境条件下使用低成本的 Cu-S 催化剂从亚硝酸盐（NO）和环己酮一步电化学合成环己酮肟的策略，避免了复杂的程序、贵金属催化剂和 HSO/HO 的使用。该策略以 92%的产率和 99%的环己酮肟选择性生产环己酮肟，可与工业路线相媲美。反应经历了一个从 NO→NHOH→肟的反应途径。这种电催化策略适用于其他肟的生产，突出了方法的通用性。放大的电解实验和技术经济分析证实了其实际潜力。本研究为环己酮肟的替代生产开辟了一种温和、经济和可持续的方法。
