The latest technology of Nanjing University of technology attracts attention: using solar energy to make amino acids

Solar drive makes carbon dioxide synthesize amino acids Amino acids are the basic components of protein The human body needs to take in a large amount of amino acids from the diet every day to maintain normal physiological activities Recently, Professor Patrick Walsh and fan Xinyuan's research group of Nanjing University of technology cooperated to realize a simple method of chemical conversion of carbon dioxide and synthesis of α - amino acids by using solar drive This method is easy to operate, cheap and easy to get, and has high practicability and broad application prospect Relevant achievements were published in the international authoritative journal Nature communications "Amino acids are not only essential nutrients for human body, but also important pharmaceutical intermediates For example, Diphenylamino acids are used as raw materials for the synthesis of phenytoin, an anticonvulsant drug Although amino acids can be obtained by chemical synthesis, the general reaction conditions are harsh and the cost of raw materials is high " According to fan Xinyuan, sunlight has become one of the most attractive energy sources for driving chemical reactions with its advantages of cleanness and sustainability Photosynthesis is one of the most fascinating examples Nature uses solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic compounds, providing energy for the life activities of almost all organisms, including human beings At the same time, the process of photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide, which plays an important role in delaying global warming Professor Patrick Walsh is a lifelong professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States and currently teaches at Nanjing University of technology "For a long time, chemists have been trying to imitate nature and explore ways to use light energy to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds But these attempts are challenging because of the stability of carbon dioxide itself However, the recent rise of photocatalytic chemistry has made these chemical reactions possible " Patrick Walsh explained Professor Fan Xinyuan and Professor Patrick Walsh cooperated to study the chemical properties of imines under visible light catalysis In the previous exploration, they were surprised to find that the imine, which would be decomposed in the presence of water, had an unexpected chemical reaction under the condition of photocatalysis Through further research, they found out the reason and reversed the chemical mechanism, and soon realized the coupling reaction between imine and aldehydes, so as to synthesize hydroxyamines Fan Xinyuan introduced that at present, their research group has successfully solved the chemical reaction problem of carbon dioxide and imine catalyzed by visible light on the basis of in-depth research on imine, further realized the chemical reaction of imine and carbon dioxide driven by solar light, and developed the chemical conversion of carbon dioxide driven by solar light A simple method for the synthesis of α - amino acids This method can be carried out at room temperature under mild reaction conditions, without high pressure gas, avoiding using special instruments such as autoclave, and is easy to operate The target product can be obtained only by filtration At the same time, solar light is used as a clean energy source, and the reaction process also consumes carbon dioxide isothermal chamber gas These advantages make this method green, environmental friendly, practical and broad The future of application In order to explore the possibility of industrial production, the further scale-up reaction test is also in progress, which is expected to benefit people's lives in the near future.