title: One-step conversion of cellobiose to C6-alcohols using a ruthenium nanocluster catalyst.
abstract: The one-step conversion of cellulose to C6-alcohols via green and energy efficient approaches has, as far as we are aware, not been reported. Such a process presents a considerable challenge, the two key problems being (1) finding a suitable solvent that dissolves the cellulose, and (2) the development of advanced catalytic chemistry for selective cleavage of the C-O-C bonds (glycosidic bonds) connecting glucose residues. The dissolution of cellulose has been recently realized by using ionic liquids as green solvents; there is still no efficient method, such as selective hydrogenation, for the precise C-O-C cleavage under mild conditions, however. Cellobiose is a glucose dimer connected by a glycosidic bond and represents the simplest model molecule for cellulose. We disclose in this communication that the one-step conversion of cellobiose to C6-alcohols can be realized by selectively breaking the C-O-C bonds via selective hydrogenation using a water-soluble ruthenium nanocluster catalyst under 40 bar H2 pressure.
authors.affiliation: PKU Green Chemistry Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Dyson
authors.forename: Haichao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kou
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002384:Catalysis; D002475:Cellobiose / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D012428:Ruthenium / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D002475:Cellobiose; D012428:Ruthenium