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Selective Catalytic Dehydrogenative Oxidation of Bio‐Polyols to Lactic Acid
Author(s) -
Wu Jiajie,
Shen Lingyun,
Duan Sai,
Chen ZheNing,
Zheng Qingshu,
Liu Yaoqi,
Sun Zheming,
Clark James H.,
Xu Xin,
Tu Tao
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202004174
Subject(s) - dehydrogenation , chemistry , catalysis , lactic acid , monomer , iridium , methanol , combinatorial chemistry , organic chemistry , polymer , polymer chemistry , biology , bacteria , genetics
The global demand for lactic acid (LA) is increasing due to its successful application as monomer for the manufacture of bioplastics. Although N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) iridium complexes are promising molecular catalysts for LA synthesis, their instabilities have hindered their utilization especially in commercial applications. Here, we report that a porous self‐supported NHC‐iridium coordination polymer can efficiently prevent the clusterization of corresponding NHC‐Ir molecules and can function as a solid molecular recyclable catalyst for dehydrogenation of bio‐polyols to form LA with excellent activity (97 %) and selectivity (>99 %). A turnover number of up to 5700 could be achieved in a single batch, due to the synergistic participation of the Ba 2+ and hydroxide ions, as well as the blockage of unwanted pathways by adding methanol. Our findings demonstrate a potential route for the industrial production of LA from cheap and abundant bio‐polyols, including sorbitol.