This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A "hidden variable" that can determine the success or failure of a chemical reaction has been found in the immediate vicinity of electrodes. A research team led by Jaeyune Ryu, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering, has developed a method for improving the efficiency and selectivity of organic compound synthesis using oxygen and electricity by controlling "local pH," or the acidity in the immediate vicinity of an electrode.
Without separately adding peroxide oxidants, the researchers synthesized lactones and epoxides, which serve as feedstocks for plastics and fine chemicals, and increased target-product selectivity from approximately 16% to 97% through reactor design that controls electrode spacing and electrolyte flow. The compounds examined in this study are closely connected to materials used in everyday life. Lactones are used as feedstocks for biodegradable plastics and polyurethanes, while epoxides are key feedstocks for adhesives, coatings and epoxy resins used in electronic materials.
Both are also widely used as intermediates in the production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. Improving the way these widely used compounds are synthesized could therefore contribute to the development of safer and more sustainable chemical processes. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Organic electrosynthesis is a technology that uses electricity to produce organic compounds. It has attracted attention as an alternative approach to sustainable chemical processing because it can reduce the use of oxidizing and reducing agents required in conventional chemical synthesis. Previous studies, however, have focused primarily on optimizing bulk-solution conditions such as voltage, electrode materials and electrolyte composition.
By comparison, the microscopic environment immediately surrounding the electrode—where molecules actually exchange electrons and undergo reactions—has received relatively little attention. The researchers focused on the possibility that this microscopic environment could determine the outcome of a synthesis reaction. When protons are generated or consumed at an electrode faster than they can be transported through the solution, the local pH can differ substantially from the pH of the bulk solution.
The team found that this difference affects not only the generation of the reactive oxygen species required for the reaction but also the reactivity of organic molecules and the stability of the products. The researchers then proposed a way to control this environment through reactor design. The team also examined how broadly this phenomenon may occur in organic electrosynthesis.
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