In organic chemistry, ethenolysis is a chemical process in which internal olefins are degraded using ethylene (H2C=CH2) as the reagent.
It produces compounds with terminal alkene functional groups (α-olefins), which are more amenable to other reactions such as polymerization and hydroformylation.
Higher molecular weight fractions are isomerized by alkaline alumina catalysts in the liquid phase.
For example, 1,5-hexadiene, a useful crosslinking agent and synthetic intermediate, is produced from 1,5-cyclooctadiene: The catalyst is derived from rhenium(VII) oxide supported on alumina.
In an application directed at using renewable feedstocks,[3] methyl oleate, derived from natural seed oils, can be converted to 1-decene and methyl 9-decenoate:[4][5] Mixed polyolefins can be recycled via high selectivity isomerizing ethenolysation using a sodium on alumina catalyst followed by olefin metathesis using a stream of ethylene gas flowing into a reaction chamber containing a tungsten oxide on silica catalyst, albeit at high temperature.