Highly Regioselective Preparation of l,3-Dioxolane-4-methanol Derivatives from Glycerol Using Phosphomolybdic Acid

摘要

Phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) forms a blue-colored complex with glycerol in a 1:10 molar ratio. The glycerolato complex catalyzes conversion of glycerol into l,3-dioxolane-4-meth-anol derivatives with complete regiospecificity in high yields (>95%) and the catalyst can be recycled up to ten times without loss of activity or regiospecificity.Glycerol is the main byproduct obtained during the production of biodiesel from vegetable oils and about 10 wt% of glycerol is produced during the transesterification process. Increasing biodiesel production around the world is causing a substantial glut in the market for glycerol. Value addition by developing new processes/product lines from glycerol would help the biodiesel industry. Several products, such as surfactants, fuel additives, acrolein, glycerol carbonate, etc., are being produced using glycerol as a platform chemical.