Biomass-derived solvent

Pace V, Hoyos P, Castoldi L, Dominguez de Maria P, Alcantara AR (2012) 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) a biomass-derived solvent with broad application in organic chemistry. ChemSusChem 5 1369-1379... 

Biomass-derived PDO is not new. The first record of PDO is from 1881 when it was discovered by August Freund in a glycerol-fermenting mixed culture. PDO is a monomer in a range of polycondensation reactions that produce polyesters, polyethers and polyurethanes. PDO can also be used to improve the properties of solvents, adhesives, laminates, resins, detergents and cosmetics. Until recently, PDO was limited by its high cost to a few solvent applications. 

MTHF is a biodegradable, renewable biomass-derived, aprotic, and hydrophobic organic solvent, which is nontoxic and nonozone depleting in nature (Sicaire et al., 2014). MTHF is increasingly being used in organometallic, biphasic chemical processes and as a blend in P-Series fuels due to its several imique beneficial properties. Some of the features and benefits of MTHF are listed in Table 10.1. 

This efficient conversion is a good example of the potential of gold catalysis to produce useful chemicals from biomass-derived starting materials. Methylfuroate formed from furfural is useful for flavor and fragrance applications and has potential as an industrial solvent. FDMC derived from HMF is a monomer that could replace the terephthalic acid used for making polyester plastics. The course of the reaction is quite different from when a platinum catalyst is used because furan dicar-baldehyde is the product from the Pt-catalyzed oxidation of HMF in water. 

Among the various derivatives of biomass, furanic compounds obtained from furfural are important (200,0001 year-1). A new family of furanic diethers has been obtained by alkylation of 2,5-furandimethanol or furfuryl alcohol under microwave irradiation with PTC solvent-free conditions [83] (Scheme 8.59). 

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