One-pot redox cascade paired electrosynthesis of gamma-butyrolactone from furoic acid

Shengqin Liu, Yangxin Jin, Shuquan Huang, Qi Zhu, Shan Shao and Jason Chun-Ho Lam ()
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Shengqin Liu: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong
Yangxin Jin: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong
Shuquan Huang: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong
Qi Zhu: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong
Shan Shao: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong
Jason Chun-Ho Lam: City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The catalytic valorisation of biomass to afford synthetically useful small molecules is essential for sustainable biorefinery processes. Herein, we present a mild cascaded electrochemical protocol for converting furoic acid, a common biomass-derived feedstock, into a versatile platform chemical, gamma-butyrolactone. In the platinum(+)|nickel(−) electrode paired undivided cell, furoic acid is electrochemically oxidised with 84.2% selectivity to 2(5H)-furanone, the olefin of which is then hydrogenated to yield gamma-butyrolactone with 98.5% selectivity. The final gamma-butyrolactone yield is 69.1% with 38.3% Faradaic efficiency and 80.1% carbon balance when the reaction is performed with 100 mM furoic acid at 80 °C at +2.0 VAg/AgCl. Mechanistic investigation revealed the critical temperature and electrolyte pH conditions that maximise the production and protection of the key intermediate, furan radical, promoting its transition to 2(5H)-furanone rather than self-polymerising. The reaction is scalable, as 2.1 g of 98.1% pure gamma-butyrolactone is isolated through a simple solvent extraction.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45278-z

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