Polymers for Advanced Technologies · 2003 · 15 citations · 4 references
Natural SciencesChemical EngineeringChemistryCarbohydrate ChemistryCatalysisGreen ChemistryCatalyst DesignCatalyst PreparationCatalyst SynthesisCatalytic MaterialsCatalytic MechanismsSupported CatalystsAtmospheric PressureCatalytic ActivityCatalytic EfficiencyCatalytic Reaction MechanismsCatalytic StabilityHydrogenationHydrogenation ReactionsOptical Activity
Abstract A Wool–Rh complex was prepared by the reaction of wool with RhCl 3 ·3H 2 O in ethanol solution, and was found to be useful as a chiral catalyst for the asymmetric hydrogenation of 2‐methyl furan to (S)‐(+)‐2‐methyl tetrahydrofuran at 28 °C and under atmospheric hydrogen pressure. When an appropriate Rh content in the Wool–Rh complex was selected, the yield and optical yield amounted to 53.7 and 76.9%, respectively, and the Wool–Rh complex catalyst could be reused several times without any noticeable loss in its optical catalytic activity. Wool is a very cheap natural biopolymer ligand, and Wool–Rh complex is very easy to prepare, and it is a very active, enantioselective and stable chiral catalyst for asymmetric hydrogenation of 2‐methyl furan. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
4