Journal Article

Random Access Memory (RAM) Contacts Waste Catalyzes Organic Reactions

Leyva‐Pérez, Antonio, Pérez de los Cobos‐Pérez, Daniel, Mon, Marta

2025

Overview

The direct utilization of metals from electronic waste (e‐waste) in catalysis is a barely explored concept that, however, should be feasible for reactions where the catalytically active species can be formed in situ from the e‐waste metal pieces. This approach circumvents any capture or isolation of particular metals, thus saving additional treatments (extractions, neutralization, separations, washings, …) and valorizing the e‐waste in its own. Here, it is shown that a metallic contact (≈1 mg) of a computer´s random‐access memory (RAM) catalyzes a variety of organic reactions in high yields. For instance, one RAM contact catalyzes the one‐pot esterification‐hydration reaction between acyl chlorides, propargyl alcohols, and water, at room temperature in 93–99% yields with turnover frequencies >0.5 million per hour. In this way, >50 kg of organic products could be prepared with just the RAM contacts discarded per year in the Institute´s recycling bin. These results open the way to directly use e‐waste in catalysis for organic synthesis. Wasted RAM contacts catalyze different organic reactions in good to excellent yields, with turnover numbers >0.5 million in some cases. The RAM contacts are used without any previous treatment and are recovered and reused. Kilograms of organic products could be produced with the RAM contacts of just five discarded laptops. These results open the way to use directly e‐waste in catalysis for organic synthesis.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Acids / Alcohols / Catalysis / Chemical reactions / Chemical synthesis / Chloride / Electronic waste / Esterification / e‐waste / Gold / Hydration / Metals / Neutralization / one‐pot reactions / Propargyl alcohol / RAM contacts / Random access memory / Room temperature / Solvents