Biomass derived feedstocks are highly functionalized, often with each carbon bearing a carbon oxygen bond.  Selective catalytic hydrogenolysis allows for the production of useful chemicals.  A particularly attractive feedstock is glycerol, which is a waste product of biodiesel production.  Catalysts derived from iridium based pincer complexes are found to be effective for the hydrogenolyis of glycerol to a mixture of 1,3 propanediol and 1-propanol.  A novel mechanism involving the coordination of hydrogen to an Ir(III) center is proposed based on high pressure NMR data.

Hydrogenolysis of carbon-oxygen bonds

254th National Meeting (2017)

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