Catalytic Conversion of Cellulose to Levulinic Acid by Metal Chlorides

Catalytic conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid by metal chlorides.

The catalytic performance of various metal chlorides in the conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid in liquid water at high temperatures was investigated. The effects of reaction parameters on the yield of levulinic acid were also explored. The results showed that alkali and alkaline earth metal chlorides were not effective in conversion of cellulose, while transition metal chlorides, especia...

Kinetic Study on the Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Cellulose to Levulinic Acid

Catalytic Hydrogenation and Oxidation of Biomass- Derived Levulinic Acid

Levulinic acid (LA), 4-oxo-pentanoic acid, is a new platform chemical with various potential uses. In this paper, catalytic hydrogenation and oxidation of levulinic acid were studied. It was shown from experiments that levulinic acid can be hydrogenated to γ-valerolactone (GVL) over transition metal catalysts and oxidative-decarboxylated to 2-butanone (methyl-ethyl-ketone, MEK) and methyl-vinyl...

Hydrochloric Acid-Catalyzed Levulinic Acid Formation from Cellulose: Data and Kinetic Model to Maximize Yields

In this study, the kinetics of the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH101) to levulinic (LA) and formic (FA) acids was investigated in a batch reactor over the following range of conditions: 160–200 C, hydrochloric acid concentrations of 0.309–0.927 M (11.3–33.8 g/l), cellulose concentrations of 49.8–149 mM (8.06–24.1 g/l), and residence times of 0–50 min. The max...

From bifunctional to trifunctional (tricomponent nucleophile-transition metal-lewis acid) catalysis: the catalytic, enantioselective α-fluorination of acid chlorides.

We report in full detail our studies on the catalytic, asymmetric α-fluorination of acid chlorides, a practical method that produces an array of α-fluorocarboxylic acid derivatives in which improved yield and virtually complete enantioselectivity are controlled through electrophilic fluorination of a ketene enolate intermediate. We discovered, for the first time, that a third catalyst, a Lewis ...