The IR spectra of humins formed during the acid-catalyzed conversion of glucose, fructose, and 5hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde were compared. The spectra are quite similar except for three groups of features that can be attributed to furan rings and carbonyl groups conjugated with carbon−carbon double bonds. IR spectroscopy further revealed that benzyl groups could be added to the humins as they formed or in a separate aldol addition/condensation reaction after they had been recovered. The IR spectra are consistent with a model where each of the three reactants must first be converted to 2,5dioxo-6-hydroxyhexanal (DHH) before humins can form via subsequent aldol addition and condensation. The differences in the IR spectral features can then be explained by variations in the concentrations of other aldehydes and ketones that can react with DHH.

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An attractive method for valorization of glycerol is the catalytic transformation to lactic acid. By overcoming the solubility challenge associated with known homogeneous catalysts for this reaction, we show that thermally robust Ir(I), Ir(III), and Ru(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes with sulfonate-functionalized wingtips are highly prolific for this process, requiring no cosolvents other than aqueous base. The activity of the catalysts is compared under both conventional heating and microwave conditions. The most active catalyst reaches a TOF of 45 592 h −1 (microwave) and 3477 h −1 (conventional) with 1 equiv of KOH, and proceeds at a constant rate for at least 8 h. Although higher activity is observed with KOH, the catalysts are also highly active with the weaker base, K 2 CO 3 (13 000 h −1 and concurrent formation of formate). The protocol can be modified to achieve quantitative conversion of glycerol in only 3 h. The high activity of these catalysts compared to nonsulfonated analogs is attributed to the stabilization the lactate product in aqueous media. The most active catalyst retains equal activity for crude glycerol. A mechanism is proposed for the most active catalyst precursor involving O−H oxidative addition of glycerol.

The transfer hydrogenation of CO2 from glycerol to afford formic and lactic acid is a highly attractive path to valorizing two waste streams and is a significantly more thermodynamically favorable process than direct CO2 hydrogenation. We report the first homogeneous catalyst for this transformation consisting of a water-soluble Ru N-heterocyclic carbene complex. The catalyst affords lactic and formic acid selectively in the presence of a base at temperatures between 150 and 225 °C. Carbonate salts can also be utilized in place of CO2, affording the same products at higher rates.

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