gamma-Valerolactone (GVL), a versatile biomass derived platform molecule, was synthesized with a highest yield of 89.8 from methyl levulinate (ML) using self-supplied H-2 coming from the decomposition of MeOH derived partially from ML. Cu-Cr acted as a bi-functional catalyst for both H-2 production from MeOH and carbonyl hydrogenation. An extremely low amount of MeOH (29 mol relative to ML) was initially necessary to start up the hydrocyclization of ML to GVL and MeOH, which is in turn employed as an in situ H-2 source for ML hydrogenation, providing an atom-economical pathway for GVL production.
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