MOFs with nitrogen-rich ligands: synthesis, characterization and heterogeneous catalysis applications

• Grant number: 17/03176-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: December 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Regina Celia Galvao Frem
• Grantee: Cássio Rabello Mittempergher Pupin
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Carbon dioxide stands out as the main agent responsible for the greenhouse effect, with global emissions in the order of 49 million tonnes. It is clear that new strategies are needed to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. One of the strategies is the use of carbon dioxide as the base reactant in the production of ethylene glycols. This reaction is very interesting because the classical method of obtaining ethylene glycols industrially is based on the ethoxylation between an epoxide and a ROH group, which uses a lot of energy and water, making the process very harmful to the environment. Ethylene glycols are compounds with various industrial applications. The proposed method seeks to replace the epoxide by a carbonate through a cycloaddition reaction of CO2 with the epoxide, the carbonate being then used for the ethoxylation reaction, avoiding the use of large amounts of water for the formation of the desired products. These reactions must be catalyzed to increase speed and rate of conversion. Within this context, the main objective of this project, which is based on the study of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as catalysts for the above reactions, becomes evident. MOFs are polymeric inorganic structures that exhibit high porosity and selectivity, formed from interaction between metallic clusters and organic spacers, presenting catalytic activity. The objective of this project is to synthesize and characterize MOFs with nitrogen-rich ligands and test their catalytic activity in the reactions of the ethylene glycol synthesis process. (AU)