5059-25-6

Upstream product

• 623-15-4 4-(furan-2-yl)but-3-en-2-one 
• 98-01-1 furfural 
• 67-64-1 acetone 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

Synthetic ferripyrophyllite: Preparation, characterization and catalytic application

Sheet silicates, also known as phyllosilicates, contain parallel sheets of tetrahedral silicate built up by [Si2O5]2- entities connected through intermediate metal-oxygen octahedral layers. The well-known minerals talc and pyrophyllite are belonging to this group based on magnesium and aluminium, respectively. Surprisingly, the ferric analogue rarely occurs in nature and is found in mixtures and conglomerates with other materials only. While partial incorporation of iron into pyrophyllites has been achieved, no synthetic protocol for purely iron-based pyrophyllite has been published yet. Here we report about the first artificial synthesis of ferripyrophyllite under exceptional mild conditions. A similar ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet morphology is obtained as in talc or pyrophyllite but with iron(iii) as a central metal. The high surface material exhibits a remarkably high thermostability. It shows some catalytic activity in ammonia synthesis and can serve as catalyst support material for noble metal nanoparticles.

Solvent effects in hydrodeoxygenation of furfural-acetone aldol condensation products over Pt/TiO2 catalyst

The solvent effects on hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one (F-Ac) over Pt/TiO2 catalyst were investigated at T = 200 °C and P(H2) = 50 bar. The initial reactant is the main product of aldol condensation between furfural and acetone, which constitutes a promising route for the production of bio-based chemicals and fuels. A sequence of experiments was performed using a selection of polar solvents with different chemical natures: protic (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-pentanol) and aprotic (acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), n,n-dimethylformamide (DMF)). In case of protic solvents, a good correlation was found between the polarity parameters and conversion. Consequently, the highest hydrogenation rate was observed when 2-propanol was used as a solvent. In contrast, the hydrogenation activity in presence of aprotic solvents was related rather to solvent-catalyst interactions. Thus, the initial hydrogenation rate declined in order Acetone > THF > DMF, i.e. in accordance with the increase in the nucleophilic donor number and solvent desorption energy. Regarding the product distribution, a complex mixture of intermediates was obtained, owing to the successive hydrogenation (aliphatic C[dbnd]C, furanic C[dbnd]C and ketonic C[dbnd]O bonds), ring opening (via C[sbnd]O hydrogenolysis) and deoxygenation reactions. Based on the proposed reaction scheme for the conversion of F-Ac into octane, the influence of the studied solvents over the cascade catalytic conversion is discussed. A significant formation of cyclic saturated compounds such as 2-propyl-tetrahydropyran and 2-methyl-1,6-dioxaspiro[4,4]nonane took place via undesirable side reactions of cyclization and isomerization. The best catalytic performance was found when using acetone and 2-propanol as solvents, achieving significant yields of 4-(2-tetrahydrofuryl)-butan-2-ol (28.5–40.4%) and linear alcohols (6.3–10.4%). The better performance of these solvents may be associated with a lower activation energy barrier for key intermediate products, due to their moderate interaction with the reactant and the catalyst. In case of methanol and DMF, undesired reactions between the reactant and the solvent took place, leading to a lower selectivity towards the targeted hydrodeoxygenated products.

Towards understanding the hydrodeoxygenation pathways of furfural-acetone aldol condensation products over supported Pt catalysts

Aiming at the valorisation of furfural-derived compounds, the hydrodeoxygenation of furfural-acetone condensation products has been studied using supported platinum catalysts. The influence of the catalytic properties of different supports, such as SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, hydrotalcite (HTC), Beta zeolite, Al-SBA-15 and WO3-ZrO2, was evaluated in a batch reactor for 480 min at 200 °C and 50 bar of H2. The used feed consisted of a mixture of furfural-acetone adducts (C8-C19), obtained in previous experiments using a continuous flow reactor and hydrotalcite as a catalyst. Except for Pt/SiO2, all catalysts showed high conversion of the reactants, especially due to the hydrogenation of all the aliphatic CC bonds. However, the extent of further hydrogenation (furan CC and ketone CO bonds) was limited, particularly when HTC and Al2O3 were used as supports. The higher accessibility of Pt/TiO2 and the smaller Pt particle size shown by Pt/Al-SBA-15, Pt/WO3-ZrO2 and Pt/Beta in comparison with the other catalysts led to an improvement in the hydrogenation of furanic and ketonic groups, likely due to lower adsorption constraints. The higher acid character of the latter group of catalysts promotes dehydration and ring opening steps, thus enhancing the selectivity towards linear alcohols. Likewise, a significant increase in the extent of aldol condensation reactions was also observed with these catalysts, yielding longer carbon chain compounds. Based on this study, a reaction scheme for the transformation of 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one (C8) into octane has been proposed in order to establish a valuable correlation between the main conversion pathways and the catalytic properties of the employed heterogeneous catalyst, thus contributing to further development of efficient deoxygenation catalysts.

Selective hydrogenation of biomass derived substrates using ionic liquid-stabilized ruthenium nanoparticles

Ionic liquid-stabilized ruthenium nanoparticles with an average size between 2-3 nm are very active catalysts for the hydrogenation of biomass derived substrates. Their catalytic performance complements that of classic homogeneous and heterogeneous ruthenium catalysts.