With the depletion of fossil resources and the increasing global demand for a more green chemical industry, the development of new and improved catalytic systems for the conversion of renewable feedstocks, such as biomass, are needed. A possibility for a greener chemical industry may be achieved by switching from environmentally challenging solvents to more benign ones such as ionic liquids. Here we demonstrate the utilization of different ionic liquids as solvents for decarbonylation of aldehydes. The reaction presented in Figure 1, provides a pathway for the conversion of hexoses into pentoses, which is a process that until now has shown low yields and poor selectivity.Recent studies have shown that the Group 9 metals are by far the most active metals for catalytic decarbonylation reactions, and that the rate determining step is the decarbonylation of the metal complex.This knowledge presents an interesting opportunity for the selection of active catalyst-solvent combinations.

Ionic liquids as solvents for catalytic decarbonylation

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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