title: Unsaturated O- and N-heterocycles from carbohydrate feedstocks.
abstract: With reference to the impending transition of chemical industry from depleting fossil raw materials to renewable feedstocks--the end of cheap oil is predicted for 2040 at the latest--this account gives an overview on chemically transforming carbohydrates, by far the major part of the annually regrowing biomass, into the following unsaturated O- and N-heterocycles with versatile industrial application profiles: furans, pyrans, dihydropyranones, pyrroles, pyrazoles, imidazoles, pyridinols, pyrazines, and quinoxalines. Although the emphasis was laid on conversions that can be effected in practical one-pot procedures or in a few large-scale-adaptable steps, a broad structural variety of products emerges that have not only diverse chemical functionalities but also hydrophilic "residual sugar" portions that render them water-soluble and readily biodegradable.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: Frieder W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Lichtenthaler
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002617:Chemical Industry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D015394:Molecular Structure
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds