Selectively adding functionality to commodity plastics is an abiding challenge in polymer science. In this issue of Chem, Hartwig and co-workers describe a selective, catalytic oxidation of polyethylene C–H bonds by using high-valent ruthenium-oxo species. The transformation increases polyethylene’s adhesive properties without significantly modifying its thermal stability or mechanical strength.

中文翻译：

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催化CH氧化可增强聚乙烯键合

在聚合物科学中，选择性地向商品塑料添加功能是一个永恒的挑战。在本期《化学》杂志上，哈特维格及其同事描述了使用高价钌-氧代物质对聚乙烯CH键进行选择性催化氧化的方法。该转变增加了聚乙烯的粘合性能，而没有显着改变其热稳定性或机械强度。