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Keywords:

acetylation, acid catalysis, cellulose, ionic liquids, heterogeneous catalysis, glucose, heterogeneous catalysis., ionic liquid, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Technology, Forestry, Materials Science, Paper & Wood, Materials Science, CATALYTIC CONVERSION, LEVULINIC ACID, DISSOLUTION, ACETYLATION, POLYSACCHARIDES, WOOD, FIBERS, FUELS, 0705 Forestry Sciences, 3007 Forestry sciences

Abstract:

The transformation of cellulose into glucose ester a-d-glucose pentaacetate (GPAc) was carried out in ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride under mild reaction conditions. The reaction comprises two steps: the first involves a hydrolysis reaction, yielding a-d-glucose and glucose oligomers; and then only after some time, the acetylating reagent acetic anhydride is added. Under optimized conditions and with the acidic resin Amberlyst 15DRY as a hydrolysis catalyst, a 70% yield of GPAc was obtained. This product could be quantitatively isolated by simple liquid-liquid extraction, which allowed easy recycling of the ionic liquid and catalyst.