Mcm-41 Materials as Catalysts for the Synthesis of Alkyl Fructosides

Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass-Derived Sugars with Acidic Nanoporous Materials: Structural Role in Carbon-Chain Length Variation

Shifting from petroleum-based resources to inedible biomass for the production of valuable chemicals and fuels is one of the significant aspects in sustainable chemistry for realizing the sustainable development of our society. Various renowned biobased platform molecules, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, levulinic acid, and lactic acid, are successfully accessible from the transformation of biobased sugars. To achieve the specific reaction routes, heterogeneous nanoporous acidic materials have served as promising catalysts for the conversion of bio-sugars in the past decade. This Review summarizes advances in various nanoporous acidic materials for bio-sugar conversion, in which the number of carbon atoms is variable and controllable with the assistance of the switchable structure of nanoporous materials. The major focus of this Review is on possible reaction pathways/mechanisms and the relationships between catalyst structure and catalytic performance. Moreover, representative examples of catalytic upgrading of biobased platform molecules to biochemicals and fuels through selective C-C cleavage and coupling strategies over nanoporous acidic materials are also discussed.

Thermotropic liquid crystalline glycolipids

Are the liquid crystalline properties of the materials of living systems important in biological structures, functions, diseases and treatments? There is a growing consciousness that the observed lyotropic, and often thermotropic liquid crystallinity, of many biological materials that possess key biological functionality might be more than curious coincidence. Rather, as the survival of living systems depends on the flexibility and reformability of structures, it seems more likely that it is the combination of softness and structure of the liquid-crystalline state that determines the functionality of biological materials. The richest sources of liquid crystals derived from living systems are found in cell membranes, of these glycolipids are a particularly important class of components. In this critical review, we will examine the relationship between chemical structure and the self-assembling and self-organising properties of glycolipids that ultimately lead to mesophase formation.

Synthesis of 2(R),3-dihydroxypropyl and 2(R),3(R)-dihydroxybutyl β-d-fructopyranosides and some derivatives

The synthesis of 2(R),3-dihydroxypropyl and 2(R),3(R)-dihydroxybutyl beta-d-fructopyranosides, and some derivatives, employing Sharpless-type catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation procedures is described. Some aspects of the reactions, including stereoselectivities and chemical evidence for the assigned stereochemistry of the main products are reported.

Glycosidation of fructose-containing disaccharides using MCM-41 material as the catalyst

Glycosidation of saccharides combines the essential characteristics of two major renewable classes, viz. triglycerides and carbohydrates, leading to biofriendly surfactants and emulsifiers. The development of the alkylglycosides derived from reducing disaccharides has lagged, because no efficient synthesis was available. We have found that ordered mesoporous materials of the MCM-41 type are active and selective catalysts for the glycosidation of disaccharides containing fructose at the reducing end, i.e., isomaltulose, lactulose and leucrose. No alcoholysis or hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond was observed, demonstrating the mildness of the MCM-41 catalyst. Leucrose was found to be less reactive than the two other disaccharides, in accordance with the absence of furanose forms in leucrose.