Efficient Production of Biomass-Derived C4 Chiral Synthons in Aqueous Solution.

Carbohydrates are expected to replace petroleum and to become the base of industrial chemistry. Chirality is one particular area in which carbohydrates have a special potential advantage over petroleum resources. Herein, we report a catalytic approach for the direct production of d-tetroses [i.e., d-(−)-erythrose and d-(+)-erythrulose] from d-hexoses through a fast retro-aldol process at 190 °C that achieves a yield of 46 % and completely retains the chiral centers in the final chiral synthon. The d-tetrose products were further converted into their derivatives, thereby accomplishing transfer of chirality from natural chiral hexoses to high-value-added chiral chemicals. Our results also suggest that the product distribution for the conversion of d-hexoses was determined by their isomerization and epimerization trends that competed with their corresponding retro-aldol condensation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]