Cellulose levoglucosenone formation

The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of structural peculiarities of different types of cellulose on levoglucosenone formation under catalytic fast pyrolysis conditions. Moreover, amount of phosphoric acid and pretreatment temperature should be determined to provide maximum possible yields of levoglucosenone. 

Opening of the anhydro-ring of 2,3,4-tri-C>-acetyl-l,6-anhydro-j3-D-gluco-pyranose with titanium tetrachloride and alkoxytitanium trichlorides has been examined. Data have been presented to show that l,6-anhydro-3,4-dideoxy-jS-D-5-/ycero-hex-3-enopyranos-2-ulose(levoglucosenone) is not principally derived from 1,6-anhydro-jS-D-glucopyranose on acid-catalysed pyrolysis of cellulose. It appears that l,6-anhydro-j8-D-glucopyranose itself is not a primary product of cellulose pyrolysis, so that the principal mechanism of its formation must involve a precursor still to be identified. 

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