The transformation of glycerol � the low-value byproduct of biodiesel production � into useful chemicals like allyl alcohol and acrolein has recently received significant attention. A promising reaction to obtain the desired removal of surplus oxygen is the rhenium-catalyzed reverse dihydroxylation (dedihydroxylation), which allows the removal of two hydroxyl groups in a single chemical transformation.In an analogous system, we have employed in situ infrared spectroscopy, ReactIR, to monitor the methyltrioxorhenium(VII)-catalyzed dedihydroxylation of a vicinal diol to an alkene using various sacrificial reductants. The recording of spectra every few seconds makes the ReactIR technique a very powerful tool that has allowed us to pinpoint small differences between mechanistic scenarios, obtain thermodynamic parameters, and identify important intermediates. The detailed knowledge of the reaction mechanism will be used to further develop this technology towards application to realistic biomass feedstocks.

Investigation of the rhenium-catalyzed dedihydroxylation of diols using in situ infrared spectroscopy

245th National Meeting (2013)

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