Russian scientists were able to use the converter gas to synthesize drugs. This was reported by the press service of the RNF.
The basic oxygen treatment is the main modern method of steel production. During one of the stages, oxygen is blown through the molten iron, resulting in the formation of steel and a byproduct – converter gas. It contains 60% toxic carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide), so it is not released into the atmosphere, it is burned. In developed countries they try to minimize the amount of production waste and carbon monoxide is an excellent chemical reducing agent. However, due to the 40% impurities it contains, it is difficult to use and unprofitable to extract.
Experts of the Institute of Organoelement Compounds named after AN. Nesmeyanov RAS and colleagues from other universities succeeded in obtaining a number of organic compounds, including drugs, using transforming gas. The researchers used a converter gas to remove oxygen atoms from nitro compounds containing the -NO2 group and carboxylic acids containing the -COOH moiety, resulting in the formation of a strong amide bond similar to the one that binds amino acids in natural proteins.
In particular, the authors obtained paracetamol, a well-known antipyretic, which is on the World Health Organization’s list of most important drugs. Under optimal conditions, the mass of paracetamol obtained was 99% of that theoretically calculated. At the same time, the researchers used ready-made catalysts, and the solvent in the reaction could be water, which simplifies the synthesis process and makes it attractive for industrial chemistry. Similarly, the authors obtained 14 other important organic compounds, such as the herbicide propanil and the antifungal drug butenafine.
The authors hope that their technology will not only make pharmaceutical production cheaper, but will also prove that steel waste can be used as a raw material for the chemical industry. In the future, it can be adapted to produce urea needed in fertilizers.
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