Integrated strategy for the synthesis of aromatic building blocks via upcycling of real-life plastic wastes

There is a high demand for aromatic compounds in petrochemical industries as well as in end-user industries. However, current syn-thesis of aromatics is entirely dependent on energy-intensive stra-tegies. At the same time, the rapid growth of plastic wastes in landfills and oceans is alarming. As a solution to both dilemmas, we report here an integrated strategy for the synthesis of lower ar-omatics such as benzene, toluene, biphenyl, and salicylic acid from real-life PS-based wastes. Additionally, four bioactive com-pounds have been synthesized. Advantageously, gram-scale trans-formations of real-life PS-based wastes have been achieved to demonstrate the practicality. Finally, detailed mechanistic investi-gations have revealed the mechanism of this upcycling strategy and clearly demonstrated the role of each reagent involved in this reaction.