Control of zeolite pore interior for chemoselective alkyne/olefin separations

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aay8447
• Publication Date: 2020-05-28T23:05:29Z
• Authors: Yuchao Chai; Xue Han; Weiyao Li; Shanshan Liu; Sikai Yao; Chong Wang; Wei Shi; Ivan da-Silva; Pascal Manuel; Yongqiang Cheng; Luke D. Daemen; Anibal J. Ramirez...; Chiu C. Tang; Ling Jiang; Sihai Yang; Naijia Guan; Landong Li
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

Zeolites that prefer alkynes

Alkenes such as ethylene and propene must be separated from alkynes before they can be converted in polymers. Drawbacks in current methods, such as hydrogenation of alkynes producing unwanted alkanes, has spurred interest in sorption separation methods. Zeolites have generally been inefficient, given the similar sizes and volatilities of the molecules. Chai et al. incorporated atomically dispersed divalent transition metal cations into faujasite zeolite and found that the nickel-containing analog efficiently removed alkynes from olefins through chemoselective binding at open nickel(II) sites. At ambient conditions in the presence of water and carbon dioxide, the zeolites retained separation selectivities of 100 and 92, respectively, for acetylene over ethylene and propyne over propylene for 10 adsorption-desorption cycles.

Science , this issue p. 1002