Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) reaction is considered as a potential route for upgrading bio-based carbonyl compounds to their corresponding alcohols.
As-synthesized Ni-based Lewis acidic catalysts, with tunable concentrations of β-Ni(OH) 2 and γ-NiOOH, were tested on the conversion of sugars to methyl lactate (MLA) in near-critical methanol solutions. The concentration of γ-NiOOH increased with an increase in the Ni(NO 3 ) 2 •6H 2 O/2-methylimidazole (Ni/2-Hmim) molar ratio. Compared to β-Ni(OH) 2 , the γ-NiOOH showed more mesopores in the catalyst, which facilitated the diffusion of reactant and products. Ni/2-Hmim-4 [Ni(NO 3 ) 2 • 6H 2 O/2-methylimidazole molar ratio = 4] exhibited the best catalytic activity. Under optimal conditions (180 °C for 12 h), the highest MLA yield was 41.9% on the conversion of glucose. Ni/2-Hmim-4 was employed to convert disaccharides to MLA. Notably, for sucrose, the reaction afforded a 38.7% MLA yield at 200 °C for 12 h. The catalyst was reusable for at least three cycles.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.