Elongation and branching of α-olefins by two ethylene molecules

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...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2022-03, Vol.375 (6584), p.1021-1024
Main Authors: Dietel, Thomas, Lukas, Fabian, Kretschmer, Winfried P, Kempe, Rhett
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkenes
Catalysts
Chain branching
Elongation
Ethylene
Material properties
Molecular chains
Selectivity
Titanium
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abm5281