title: From furfural to fuel: synthesis of furoins by organocatalysis and their hydrodeoxygenation by cascade catalysis.
abstract: The synthesis of furoins from biomass-derived furfural and 2-methylfurfural is demonstrated in high yields in green and renewable solvents using N-heterocyclic carbene organocatalysts. The resulting furoin molecules are used as precursors for fuels using cascade catalysis, first by using Pd/C with acidic co-catalysts under very mild conditions to yield oxygenated C12 molecules. Two main products were formed, which we identified as 1,2-bis(5-methyltetrahydrofuran-2-yl)ethane and 1-(5-methyltetrahydrofuran-2-yl)heptanol. The use of a Pd/Zeolite-β catalyst under more extreme conditions resulted in the complete hydrodeoxygenation of 5,5'-dimethylfuroin to dodecanes in high yields (76%) and exceptional selectivity (94%) for n-dodecane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels (C3Bio), Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (USA).
authors.forename: Benjamin L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Wegenhart
authors.forename: Linan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Soon Cheong
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.forename: Remi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Hilkka I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Kenttämaa
authors.forename: Mahdi M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Abu-Omar
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002384:Catalysis; D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; D005662:Furaldehyde / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D008697:Methane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry; D010578:Petroleum
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; C030011:carbene; D010165:Palladium; D005662:Furaldehyde; D008697:Methane; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: biomass; carbenes; hydrocarbons; organocatalysis; palladium