Na-MnOx catalyzed aerobic oxidative cleavage of biomass-derived 1,2-diols to synthesis medium-chain furanic chemicals

Abstract

Medium-chain furanic chemicals have outstanding practical potential, especially in the application of pharmaceuticals and polymers. Herein, we describe an eco-friendly and efficient heterogeneous sodium-doped porous sodium manganese oxide catalyst (Na-MnOx) for oxidative cleavage of furanic 1,2-diols into medium-chain furanic aldehyde compounds. Subsequently, various high value-added chemicals (diacids and esters, diols, hydroxy acids, acrylics) were synthesized based on the widely applicable and highly selective catalytic approaches. The Na-MnOx was prepared by the coprecipitation method and characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and FT-IR, and TGA. XPS revealed that Mn species existed in the mixed oxidation states MnII, MnIII and MnIV. When NaOH concentration up to 1.8 mol L−1 during the preparation process of the catalyst, the ratio of Mn4+ in the catalyst was the highest, and the yield of product (Furan-2-acrolein) in the model reaction is also optimal. Overall, this protocol developed a novel and general route for the preparation of medium-chain furanic compounds utilizing cellulose-derived platform molecules.