Selective hydrogenation of lignocellulosic biomass-derived chemicals is of great importance for future energy and chemical supply. So far formic acid is considered as one of the most promising materials for hydrogen storage. Herein, we report a novel pathway for the hydrogenation of Levogluosenone (LGO), a biorenewable platform chemical, to dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene) and levoglucosanol (Lgol) using formic acid as a hydrogen source. Testing of typical hydrogenation catalysts indicated the crucial influence of the type on reaction selectivity and identified Pd/C as the most suitable catalyst. Among solvents screened, THF in combination with Pd/C showed the best performance for LGO hydrogenation, producing Cyrene in >99% yield at a low temperature (60 °C). Nevertheless, hydrogenation of Cyrene to Lgol required a harsher condition as a result of the difficult reduction property of its C=O bond. Elevating the reaction temperature to 180 °C and increasing double Pd dosage were capable to highly yield Lgol, attaining to 94.8%.

木质纤维素生物质衍生的化学品的选择性加氢对于未来的能源和化学品供应非常重要。迄今为止，甲酸被认为是最有前途的储氢材料之一。在这里，我们报告了一种新途径，即利用甲酸作为氢源，可生物降解的平台化学物质左旋葡糖烯酮（LGO）加氢成二氢左旋葡糖酮（Cyrene）和左旋葡糖醇（Lgol）。对典型氢化催化剂的测试表明该类型对反应选择性的关键影响，并确定Pd / C是最合适的催化剂。在筛选出的溶剂中，THF与Pd / C结合显示出LGO加氢的最佳性能，在低温（60°C）下以> 99％的产率生产C。不过，由于C = O键难以还原，因此将Cyrene氢化为Lgol要求更苛刻的条件。将反应温度提高到180°C并增加双Pd剂量能够高产Lgol，达到94.8％。