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Regioselective Hydrogenation of Itaconic Acid to γ‐Isovalerolactone by Transition‐Metal Nanoparticle Catalysts
Author(s) -
Gowda Ravikumar R.,
Chen Eugene Y.X.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201802878
Subject(s) - itaconic acid , catalysis , regioselectivity , chemistry , transition metal , syngas , nanoparticle , ruthenium , green chemistry , organic chemistry , aqueous solution , materials science , nanotechnology , reaction mechanism , monomer , polymer
Current methods for hydrogenation of bio‐derived itaconic acid (IA) lead to a mixture of isomeric lactone products. Transition‐metal nanoparticles (TM‐NPs), in situ‐generated through thermolysis of TM(0) (Ru, Fe, W, Cr) carbonyls, in particular Ru‐NPs, were found to catalyze regioselective hydrogenation of IA by syngas (2 H 2 /CO) into γ‐isovalerolactone (GiVL) in approximately 70 % isolated yield. Key sustainability features of this new route include: a one‐pot direct transformation of bio‐renewable IA into value‐added GiVL selectively, use of inexpensive and renewable syngas in aqueous solution, and development of a supported recyclable NP catalyst system, Al 2 O 3 ‐Ru‐NPs.