Synthesis of 1,6-Hexanediol from Cellulose Derived Tetrahydrofuran-Dimethanol with Pt-WOx/TiO2 Catalysts

Cellulose-derived tetrahydrofuran-dimethanol (THFDM) can be converted over Pt-WOx/TiO2 catalysts to 1,6-hexanediol (1,6-HDO) with up to 70% yield. This reaction involves ring-opening of THFDM to 1,2,6-hexanetriol (HTO) and then hydrogenolysis of HTO to 1,6-HDO. Hydrogen atoms spill over from Pt sites onto WOx/TiO2 to reduce the W=O functional group and create Bronsted acid sites. Similar catalytic activity for THFDM conversion can be been obtained with a physical mixture of Pt/TiO2 and WOx/TiO2, due to hydrogen spillover over spatially separate Pt and WOx when a reducible support (TiO2) is used.