Hexitol Anhydrides.¹ The Structure of Isosorbide, a Crystalline Dianhydrosorbitol²

Isosorbide as a Renewable Platform chemical for Versatile Applications—Quo Vadis?

“…[7] Crystalline isosorbide was synthesized a few years later, [8] and evidence of its structure was published in 1946. [9] The difference between isosorbide in comparison to its two isomers isoidide and isomannide is the configuration of the two hydroxyl groups. Isoidide exhibits exo and isomannide endo configuration for both hydroxyl groups, whereas in isosorbide the hydroxyl group in the 2-position has exo and that in the 5-position endo configuration.…”

One-pot conversion of cellulose to isosorbide using supported metal catalysts and ion-exchange resin

“…Recently, cellulose conversion to sorbitol has been reported by some research groups (Scheme 1) [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Subsequently, dehydration of sorbitol can provide valuable chemicals: both anhydrosorbitol (sorbitan) and isosorbide (Scheme 1) [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Anhydrosorbitol is a key material for producing sorbitan fatty acid esters, which are used as naturallyderived surfactants or nontoxic food additives.…”

“…Isosorbide is a drug medicine used as osmotic diuretics and blood-pressure-lowering drugs. Also, isosorbide has attracted a great deal of attention because poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) containing isosorbide has higher glass transition temperatures than pure PET [13,[20][21][22], broadening the applications of polyesters. Consequently, the cellulose valorization can be realized by conversion of cellulose to isosorbide or anhydrosorbitol.…”

One-pot Conversion from Lignocellulosic Biomass to Isosorbide

“…Direct conversion of cellulose into sorbitol has been reported by hydrogenolysis using supported metal catalysts with hydrogen 6) 14) . Isosorbide, which can be obtained by dehydration of sorbitol 15) 18) , has a rigid structure and two functional hydroxyl groups, so isosorbide can increase the glass transition temperatures of polyesters compared with ethylene glycol in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) 15),19), 20) . Isosorbide and its derivatives are not only prospective monomers in the polymer industry but also valuable intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry 20) .…”