Reviewed by Lexie CornerMar 4 2025
An international team of researchers from the University of Missouri has developed a new, environmentally friendly chemical tool that uses electricity and specially designed "soapy" water to drive reactions in a completely new way. The study was published in Angewandte Chemie.
Sachin Handa and Karanjeet Kaur demonstrate their new chemical tool in Handa's lab at the University of Missouri. Image Credit: Sachin Handa
This innovative electrochemistry technique has the potential to reduce the cost of pharmaceutical production and advance clean energy technologies, such as efforts to remove pre- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals," from water.
Conventional electrochemistry relies on hazardous electrolytes and solvents. To find non-toxic alternatives, Associate Professor Sachin Handa and Graduate Student Karanjeet Kaur, in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, created eco-friendly compounds called micelles. These are microscopic molecular structures made from natural amino acids and coconut oil.
The micelles have a unique structure: one side repels water, while the other side mixes with it. By combining the functions of solvents, electrolytes, and reaction boosters into a single, simple tool, their design increased the efficiency of electrochemical reactions. Additionally, the reactions were found to be very selective and efficient.
Handa and Kaur discovered this method while working on micellar electrochemistry, a green approach to driving chemical reactions using micellar water and electricity.
Notably, these micelles drive desired reactions forward, but they do not react with anything and remain stable, making them unique from ionic micelles. By making the process more effective, this advancement could help improve the development of medicines, including inhibitors targeting proteins, such as the NS5A of the Hepatitis C virus, and may be used to treat hyperproliferative, inflammatory, and immunoregulatory diseases.
Sachin Handa, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Science, University of Missouri
Micelles can help separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used to develop clean energy technologies.
This process, known as electrocatalysis, also plays a key role in clean energy production. With the same approach, hydrogen in situ generated from water can be potentially used as a clean fuel. Plus, we can use hydrogen to break down harmful PFAS chemicals, transforming them into useful hydrocarbons while simultaneously releasing oxygen into the air.
Sachin Handa, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Science, University of Missouri
Handa joined the university in 2023 as part of its MizzouForward program.
This new chemical tool offers sustainable solutions for clean energy production and storage. By focusing on efficiency and sustainability, it reduces the environmental impact of traditional chemical processes.
Journal Reference:
Handa, S., et al. (2025) Electrocatalytic Micelle‐Driven Hydrodefluorination for Accessing Unprotected Monofluorinated Indoles. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. doi.org/10.1002/anie.202416132.