Metal-containing zeolites as efficient catalysts for the transformation of highly valuable chiral biomass-derived products

Metal-containing zeolites, especially Sn-Beta, perform as very efficient heterogeneous catalysts in the selective oxidation of levoglucosenone, which is considered as a platform chemical for the production of highly-valuable chemicals, towards the synthesis of the optically pure gamma-lactone(S)-gamma-hydroxymethyl-alpha,beta-butenolide (HBO) using H2O2 as an oxidizing agent. Using Sn-Beta as a catalyst, yields up to 75% of (S)-gamma-hydroxymethyl-alpha,beta-butenolide are achieved in a one-pot cascade reaction. When Sn-Beta is combined with an acid resin, such as Amberlyst-15, the two-step process allows yields up to 90%.