This article highlights recent progress by researchers from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the green and controllable synthesis of nitrogen-containing chemicals. By using renewable electricity to drive nitrate and nitrite electroconversion under mild conditions, the research provides a promising route for producing high-value chemicals while supporting cleaner energy use, pollutant recycling and sustainable chemical manufacturing.

Nitrogen-containing chemicals are essential raw materials for industries such as fine chemicals, synthetic fibers and modern agriculture. However, conventional production routes for these chemicals largely rely on fossil resources, resulting in high energy consumption, significant carbon emissions and substantial pollutant discharge. These challenges make traditional methods difficult to reconcile with the requirements of green and sustainable development.

A green electricity-driven strategy that converts nitrogen-containing resources, such as nitrates, into high-value-added nitrogen-containing chemicals under mild conditions can not only effectively consume renewable energy and promote the optimization of the energy structure, but also enable the resource utilization of pollutants. This approach provides a new pathway for achieving green and sustainable development as well as China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

With support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other agencies, the research teams led by Professors Buxing Han and Xiaofu Sun from the Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics and the Center for Carbon Neutral Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed a series of efficient electrocatalytic systems for the molecular conversion of renewable resources. Their work has led to a series of advances in the green and controllable preparation of important nitrogen-containing chemicals.

By designing novel catalyst–electrolyte systems, the team used air or nitrate as nitrogen sources, lignin-derived compounds and other substances as carbon sources, and water as the hydrogen source to achieve the efficient preparation of nylon-6 monomers under mild conditions. Related studies have been published in Journal of the American Chemical Society and Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

In addition, the team proposed a new concept of regulating reaction pathways through “molecular mediation” and developed ketone-mediated strategies for nitrate reduction to produce hydrazine and hydroxylamine. These strategies significantly improved reaction efficiency and selectivity. Related findings have been published in National Science Review, Nature Communications and Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Building on their previous work, the team recently established a complete workflow for a new nitrate electroconversion pathway. The workflow covers electrode preparation, in situ characterization, product separation and techno-economic feasibility analysis. It provides a valuable experimental reference for nitrate electroconversion research and is expected to contribute to the development of related fundamental studies and future technological industrialization.

The research was recently published in Nature Protocols under the title “Electrocatalytic reactions involving aqueous nitrate and nitrite” and was selected as one of the journal’s “This Week’s Featured Protocols.” The first author of the paper is graduate student Shunhan Jia, and the corresponding authors are Professors Xiaofu Sun and Buxing Han.

In my view, this work is significant not only because it advances the electrocatalytic conversion of nitrate and nitrite, but also because it connects fundamental chemical research with practical needs in green manufacturing, renewable energy utilization and environmental remediation. As the chemical industry continues to move toward low-carbon and sustainable production, such systematic research may provide useful guidance for future industrial applications.

Source: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Date: April 10, 2026