New superacid converts harmful compounds into sustainable chemicals

Researchers at Padeborn University have succeeded in producing very special catalysts, known as “Lewis superacids”, which can be used to break chemical solid bonds and speed up reactions. In a press release, the German institution explained that the production of these substances has, until now, proven extremely difficult. The chemists’ discovery enables non-biodegradable fluorinated hydrocarbons, similar to Teflon, and possibly even climate-damaging greenhouse gases, such as sulfur hexafluoride, to be converted back into sustainable chemicals. The researchers have now published their results in the magazine “Angewandte Chemie”.

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Lewis acids

“Lewis acids” are compounds that add electron pairs. Because of this ability, they are often used to speed up chemical reactions. Lewis superacids are stronger than antimony pentafluoride – the strongest Lewis acid – and can break even the toughest bonds. Professor Jan Paradies from the Department of Chemistry at Paderborn University explains: “For strong bonds, you need highly reactive reagents, i.e. substances that are extremely reactive.”

The new catalyst can split, for example, carbon-fluorine or sulfur-fluorine bonds, which are particularly robust. “Intrinsically, these Lewis superacids are incredibly reactive, which makes them difficult to produce and use. Using a trick, we produced such molecules and used them in catalytic reactions. This makes it possible to, for example, activate and further convert virtually inert, i.e. less reactive, carbon-fluorine or sulphur-fluorine bonds,” says Paradies.