Random Access Memory (RAM) Contacts Waste Catalyzes Organic Reactions

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.