Plasma-based approach leads to more reactive oxygen donors for alkene epoxidation
Yield of epoxidation reaction increased, and waste reduced, by using CO2-derived atomic oxygen and plasma-based conditions
UK-based researchers have devised a waste-free approach for oxidising alkenes to epoxides, in which atomic oxygen and carbon monoxide are both generated from carbon dioxide using non-thermal plasma. The method comes from a fairly unusual collaboration between organic chemist Benjamin Buckley and plasma scientist Felipe Iza, both at the University of Loughborough, and may help unlock the potential for using plasma chemistry within organic synthesis.