Selectivity

Organic chemistry

Metal-organic framework

Polymer chemistry

Sorption

Adsorption

Engineering

Catalysis

Physical chemistry

Chemistry

Materials science

Selective adsorption

Ethylene

Metal

Chemical engineering

Microporous material

Science

A preference for ethane Industrial production of ethylene requires its separation from ethane in a cryogenic process that consumes large amounts of energy. An alternative would be differential sorption in microporous materials. Most of these materials bind ethylene more strongly that ethane, but adsorption of ethane would be more efficient. Li et al. found that a metal-organic framework containing iron-peroxo sites bound ethane more strongly than ethylene and could be used to separate the gases at ambient conditions. Science , this issue p. 443

Ethane/ethylene separation in a metal-organic framework with iron-peroxo sites