MISIS and IOH RAS: Catalysts for the production of drugs and vitamins

Main article: Nanoparticles in medicine

2023: Obtaining a safe catalyst for the production of drugs and vitamins

Scientists from the University of MISIS and IOH RAS have created a type of catalysts that does not contain dangerous or toxic components and can be obtained by simple methods suitable for large-scale production. The process of producing drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements and flavors in which such a catalyst will be used will become safer, MISIS representatives told Zdrav.Expert on October 5, 2023.

Russian scientists have created a safe catalyst for the production of drugs and vitamins

Catalysts that accelerate chemical reactions are used in a variety of industries, including manufacturing and industries polymers drugs, they said. One of the most common species is selective hydrogenation catalysts - they help accelerate chemical reactions by converting some substances into others, while choosing only certain compounds for the reaction.

Despite the high efficiency of such catalysts, their use becomes economically unprofitable due to the large content of expensive noble metal in their composition - palladium, and the presence of lead compounds negatively affects the environmental situation in production. In light of the new environmental regulations and the desire of industry for more sustainable development, scientists around the world are actively working to create safe, inexpensive and effective catalysts, MISIS noted.

A team of scientists from NITU MISIS and IOH RAS has developed several strategies for creating non-toxic catalysts based on safe iron nanoparticles modified with a small amount of palladium. Such bimetallic nanoparticles react very actively in the process of hydrogenation (converting a substance to another using hydrogen) of bonds between atoms and selectively react with certain alkenes - types of chemical compounds.

Anastasia Shesterkina, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Nanochemistry and Ecology, MISIS University

"Bimetallic catalysts based on iron and palladium nanoparticles have great practical potential, since they do not require laborious preparation procedures, and it is possible to obtain active materials in several ways: direct restoration of precursors of the active metals applied on oxide of silicon and thermal decomposition of the put precursors on air at temperatures of 250 °C - 400 °C", - Anastasia Shesterkina told, to. x. N, senior research associate of Laboratory of nanochemistry and ecology of the MISIS University.

In the course of research, it has been shown that the most suitable support for creating effective bimetallic catalysts is domestically produced silicon oxide. The bimetallic catalysts developed have higher efficiency and are an excellent alternative to industrial hydrogenation catalysts, in particular the toxic Lindlar catalyst.

According to scientists, new catalysts can be produced using relatively simple methods, which will make it easy to scale production. In the future, the researchers plan to reduce the content of noble metal in the catalyst, as well as study the possibility of complete replacement with base metals in the catalyst composition while maintaining catalytic efficiency.

The results of a joint study by MISIS and IOH RAS were published in the scientific journal Nanomaterials (Q1).