Selective Conversion of Cellulose to Hydroxyacetone and 1-Hydroxy-2-Butanone Using Sn-Ni Bimetal Catalysts.

Hydroxyacetone (HA) and 1-hydroxy-2-butanone (HB), both of which contain carbonyl and hydroxyl groups, are becoming increasingly important as intermediates,due to their diversified applications in fine chemicals production such as medicine and food additives. We developed astrategyto obtain these two products from direct cellulose conversion over Sn-Ni intermetallic compound (IMC) catalysts. It was confirmed that the Sn-Ni IMC and SnOx acted as the active sitesfor HA and HB production via selectively cleaving the target C-C and C-O bonds.About 70 % of total HA (33.2%) and HB (35.6%) yield could be obtained by selective hydrogenolysis of cellulose. This strategy expands the application of cellulose for affording a new route to renewably produce the high valued C3-C4 keto-alcohols from cellulosic biomass.