Issue 19, 2023

Light hydrocarbon conversion to acrylonitrile and acetonitrile – a review

Abstract

Nitriles, particularly acrylonitrile and acetonitrile, are versatile chemicals that are used in various fields, such as polymer synthesis and pharmaceutical production. For a long time, acrylonitrile has been produced via propylene ammoxidation with acetonitrile as a byproduct. The depletion of crude reservoirs and the production of unconventional hydrocarbon resources (e.g., shale gas) renders light alkanes (including propane, ethane, and methane) to be potential feedstocks in the syntheses of acrylonitrile and acetonitrile. In this review, the processes of transforming light hydrocarbons to nitriles are surveyed, the developments in nitrile synthesis from alkanes are discussed, and the existing challenges and plausible solutions are addressed.

Graphical abstract: Light hydrocarbon conversion to acrylonitrile and acetonitrile – a review

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
25 11 2022
Accepted
22 2 2023
First published
22 2 2023

Dalton Trans., 2023,52, 6211-6225

Light hydrocarbon conversion to acrylonitrile and acetonitrile – a review

K. Trangwachirachai and Y. Lin, Dalton Trans., 2023, 52, 6211 DOI: 10.1039/D2DT03795E

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