Ua hoʻomohala ʻia e ke Kulanui o ʻEpekema a me ʻenehana ʻo Saudi Arabia ʻo King Abdullah ke kinoea propane i loko o ka hydrocarbons kaumaha. (KAUST) mea noiʻi. Hoʻoikaika nui ia i ka hopena kemika i kapa ʻia ʻo alkane metathesis, hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia e hana i nā wahie wai.

Hoʻonohonoho hou ka mea hoʻoheheʻe i ka propane, aia i loko o ʻekolu mau kalapona kalapona, i loko o nā molekala ʻē aʻe, e like me ka butane (ʻehā mau kalapona), pentane (me nā kalapona ʻelima) a me ka ethane (me nā kalapona ʻelua). "ʻO kā mākou pahuhopu, ʻo ia ka hoʻohuli ʻana i nā alkanes haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa molecular weight i nā alkanes diesel-range waiwai," wahi a Manoja Samantary mai ka KAUST Catalysis Center.

Aia ma ka puʻuwai o ka catalyst nā pūhui o nā metala ʻelua, ka titanium a me ka tungsten, i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i kahi ʻili silica ma o nā mana oxygen. ʻO ka hoʻolālā i hoʻohana ʻia he catalysis ma ka hoʻolālā. Ua hōʻike ʻia nā haʻawina mua i hana ʻia nā catalysts monometallic i ʻelua mau hana: alkane i olefin a laila olefin metathesis. Ua koho ʻia ʻo Titanium ma muli o kona hiki ke hoʻāla i ka paʻa CH o nā paraffins e hoʻololi iā lākou i olefins, a ua koho ʻia ka tungsten no kāna hana kiʻekiʻe no ka metathesis olefin.

No ka hana ʻana i ka catalyst, ua hoʻomehana ka hui i ka silica e wehe i ka nui o ka wai a laila hoʻohui i ka hexamethyl tungsten a me ka tetraneopentyl titanium, e hana ana i ka pauka melemele māmā. Ua aʻo ka poʻe noiʻi i ka catalyst me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) e hōʻike i ka tungsten a me ka titanium atoms e moe kokoke loa ana ma nā ʻili silica, kokoke paha i ka ≈0.5 nanometer.

ʻO nā mea noiʻi, alakaʻi ʻia e ka Luna Hoʻokele o ke kikowaena ʻo Jean-Marie Basset, a laila hoʻāʻo i ka catalyst ma ka hoʻomehana ʻana iā 150 ° C me propane no ʻekolu lā. Ma hope o ka hoʻopololei ʻana i ke ʻano o ka hopena—no ka laʻana, ma ka ʻae ʻana i ka propane e kahe mau ma luna o ka catalyst—ua ʻike lākou ʻo nā huahana nui o ka pane ʻana he ethane a me ka butane a hiki i kēlā me kēia pālua o ka tungsten a me ka titanium atoms ke hoʻoikaika i ka awelika o 10,000 mau pōʻai ma mua. lilo i kā lākou hana. ʻO kēia "helu hoʻololi" ka mea kiʻekiʻe loa i hōʻike ʻia no kahi pane metathesis propane.

ʻO kēia kūleʻa o ka catalysis ma ka hoʻolālā ʻana, manaʻo nā mea noiʻi, ma muli o ka hopena i manaʻo ʻia ma waena o nā metala ʻelua. ʻO ka mua, hoʻoneʻe ka atom titanium i nā mana hydrogen mai ka propane e hana i ka propene a laila ua wāwahi kahi atom tungsten kokoke i ka propene ma kāna paʻa pālua kalapona-carbon, e hana ana i nā ʻāpana hiki ke hui hou i loko o nā hydrocarbons ʻē aʻe. Ua ʻike pū nā mea noiʻi he maikaʻi ʻole ka hana ʻana o nā pauka catalyst i loko o ka tungsten a i ʻole titanium; ʻoiai i ka hui kino ʻia ʻana o kēia mau pauka ʻelua, ʻaʻole i kūlike kā lākou hana me ka catalyst cooperative.

Manaʻo ka hui e hoʻolālā i kahi catalyst ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi me ka helu hulina kiʻekiʻe, a ʻoi aku ka lōʻihi o ke ola. "Ke manaʻoʻiʻo nei mākou i ka wā e hiki mai ana, hiki i ka ʻoihana ke hoʻohana i kā mākou ala no ka hana ʻana i nā alkanes diesel-range a ʻoi aku ka nui o ka catalysis ma ka hoʻolālā ʻana," wahi a Samantary.