Polyhydric alcohols, hydrogenolysis

Polyhydric Alcohols. (Polyols). An alcohol with three or more hydroxyl groups, each attached to a different carbon atom. They are w-sol and of sweetish taste, which tends to intensify with increasing hydroxyl content. Examples of polyols of ordn interest are listed below. Polyvinyl alcohol is considered in a separate entry as a polymer although it is defined as a polyhydric alcohol. Polyols, when nitrated, make excellent expls, proplnt binders, plasticizers, etc. Prepn can follow the procedure of Lenth DuPuis (Ref 3) which uses a methanol suspension of either sucrose or dextrose and a special Cu-Al oxide catalyst to yield 60-65% distillable polyols at 240° and 1500psi Refs 1) Beil — refs found under individual compds 2) CA, under Alcohols, Polyhydric for compds of current ordn interest 3) C.W. Lenth R.N. DuPuis, "Polyhydric Alcohol Production by Hydrogenolysis of Sugars in the Presence of Copper-Aluminum Oxide , IEC 37, 152-57 (1945) CA 39, 1391 (1945)... 

Lahr, D.G. and Shanks, B.H. 2003. Kinetic Analysis of the Hydrogenolysis of Lower Polyhydric Alcohols Glycerol to Glycols. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 42, 5467-5472. 

Lenth R.N. DuPuis, Polyhydric Alcohol Production by Hydrogenolysis of Sugars in the Presence of Copper-Aluminum Oxide , lEC 37, 152-57 (1945) CA 39, 1391 (1945)... 

Lately, the hydrogenolysis of polyhydric alcohols on nickel has been subject to more detailed experimental studies at constant pressure and with chromatographic analysis of the products (166). Hydrogenolysis... 

Many companies have patented sugar alcohol hydrogenolysis for PPG production from carbohydrates (eg, glycerol and sorbitol). However, the complex reactivity of the polyhydric alcohols has not been definitively elucidated. Consequently, an xmderstanding of selective CeO cleavage remains an important research challenge. 

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