Hydrogenation of citric acid and substituted citric acids to 3-substituted tetrahydrofuran, 3- and 4-substituted butyrolactones and mixtures thereof

摘要

A process is disclosed for preparing 3-substituted tetrahydrofuran, 3- and 4-substituted butyrolactones and mixtures thereof comprising hydrogenating a hydrogenatable precursor in the presence of an aqueous reaction medium and a catalyst comprising palladium and rhenium and at least one support selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and carbon.