Chemists forge green path to alkylated amines

Abstract

Chemists use alkylated amines to build plastics, pharmaceuticals, and more. Unfortunately, making these important building blocks on a large scale is energy intensive and relies on nonrenewable feedstocks. Now a team of researchers report a green approach to synthesizing the molecules. Tao Yan, Ben L. Feringa, and Katalin Barta of the University of Groningen describe an environmentally-friendly catalytic process that uses alcohols to add alkyl groups to amino acids harvested from microbes (Sci. Adv. 2017, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao6494). The method retains the chirality of the amino acids and releases water as its only waste product. Calling the research “nothing short of revolutionary,” Paul T. Anastas, the director of Yale University’s Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering, says the approach could mean a cheaper, cleaner way to make these industrially crucial building blocks. Making alkylated amines is so energy intensive because it requires the Haber-Bosch process, which converts atmospheric nitrogen to