The Simpler the Better: One‐Pot Production of γ‐Valerolactone from Biomass Conversion through All‐In‐One Sc(OTf)₃ Catalyzed Cascade Reaction

Abstract

γ‐Valerolactone (GVL) derived from non‐edible biomass resources has attracted much intense attention from both academia and industry, due to its excellent properties as green solvent and ideal renewable feedstock for production of bioenergy and biorefinery. However, the practical application of current synthetic technologies is restricted by complicated catalyst system and high production cost so far. Here we report a simple but highly efficient method to realize one‐pot synthesis of bio‐derived GVL by a series of Lewis acidic triflates (M(OTf)3 (M = Sc3+, Ln3+)) under mild condition, achieving up to 78% GVL yield from furfural (FUR) without any additives or pretreatments. Systematic mechanistic studies, including reaction monitoring, identification of key intermediates and deuterium control experiments disclose the nature of such one‐pot conversion by all‐in‐one Sc(OTf)3. This system exhibits several excellent features such as commercially available and inexpensive catalyst, 100% carbon atom‐economy, environmentally friend, simple preparation and separation procedures. This method could also be applied to the upstream raw materials, including xylose, hemicellulose and even corncob, achieving GVL in 36%, 35% and 21% yields in one‐pot manner, respectively.