Is there mechano in Mechanochemistry?

2026-07-22

At present, mechanochemistry is transferring an ever-growing number of chemical reactions from conventional wet-chemical procedures into the solid-state environment of ball mills. As an electrified and largely solvent-free synthesis concept, it addresses the call for greater sustainability in chemistry, while simultaneously unrevealing a widely unexplored academic frontier with often markedly different product selectivities. Applied in organic and inorganic chemistry, in the synthesis of polymers and biomolecules, the idea almost always revolves around the concept that colliding milling balls transfer mechanical energy to reactants, thereby initiating their reactivity. This concept is reflected in the definition of mechanochemistry by IUPAC as 'chemical reactivity initiated by the absorption of mechanical energy'. This project challenges the core of this definition, hypothesizing that the majority of what is denoted as mechanochemical is not initiated by the absorption of mechanical energy at all. This project is groundbreaking as it aims to change the self-conception of a discipline. It develops a new classification for seemingly mechanochemical reactions - the triangle of mechanochemistry, which categorizes reactions based on mixing, thermal- and mechanical energy. I hypothesize that most reactions designated as mechanochemical are not driven by mechanical energy, but by intensive mixing, still operating under thermal control near room temperature. I will develop methods to isolate and quantify these three parameters in mechanochemical reactions and locate latter in the triangle of mechanochemistry. This project will explore the reasons behind mechanochemical reactivity challenging the fundament a whole discipline is built on – its current definition. Precisely this knowledge on the underlying principles of mechanochemistry is pivotal to sophisticate and foster reliability within this expanding discipline and to remove it from the realm of black-box chemistry.

Germany

2025-12-01