Abstract
Anethole (AN) is widely used as an odor cleaner in daily necessities, and can also be applied in the fields of food additives, drug synthesis, natural preservatives, and polymeric materials’ preparation. Considering environmental and economic benefits, the use of biomass raw materials with non-precious metal catalysts to prepare high-value fine chemicals is a very promising route. Here, we developed an acid-base bifunctional polymeric material (PhP-Hf (1:1.5)) composed of hafnium and phenylphosphonate in a molar ratio of 1:1.5 for catalytic conversion of biomass-derived 4′-methoxypropiophenone (4-MOPP) to AN via cascade Meerwein–Pondorf–Verley (MPV) reduction and dehydration reactions in a single pot. Compared with the traditional catalytic systems that use high-pressure hydrogen as a hydrogen donor, alcohol can be used as a safer and more convenient hydrogen source and solvent. Among the tested alcohols, 2-pentanol was found to be the best candidate in terms of pronounced selectivity. A high AN yield of 98.1% at 99.8% 4-MOPP conversion (TOF: 8.5 h−1) could be achieved over PhP-Hf (1:1.5) at 220 °C for 2 h. Further exploration of the reaction mechanism revealed that the acid and base sites of PhP-Hf (1:1.5) catalyst synergistically promote the MPV reduction step, while the Brønsted acid species significantly contribute to the subsequent dehydration step. In addition, the PhP-Hf polymeric nanocatalyst can be recycled at least five times, showing great potential in the catalytic conversion of biomass.
Highlights
With the industrial revolution, the human economy and technology have been developed rapidly [1], but it has caused many negative issues like energy depletion and environmental pollution [2,3,4]
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s forecast, by 2025, renewable energy may become the largest source of electricity all over the world
Different ratios of phenylphosphonic acid (PhP) and HfCl4 were prepared by the solvothermal assembly to obtain hafnium phenylphosphonate (PhP-Hf) in this study
Summary
The human economy and technology have been developed rapidly [1], but it has caused many negative issues like energy depletion and environmental pollution [2,3,4]. As an important raw material for renewable and sustainable development, the irreplaceable role of biomass resources in the production of energy, materials, and chemical products has attracted widespread attention [8,9,10]. Different ratios of phenylphosphonic acid (PhP) and HfCl4 were prepared by the solvothermal assembly to obtain hafnium phenylphosphonate (PhP-Hf) in this study. It can be used as an acid-base bifunctional mesoporous nanocatalyst for the high-efficiency production of AN. All other used reagents are of analytical grade
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
