Sustainable Co‐Synthesis of Glycolic Acid, Formamides and Formates from 1,3‐Dihydroxyacetone by a Cu/Al₂O₃ Catalyst with a Single Active Sites

Glycolic acid (GA), as important building block of biodegradable polymers, has been synthesized for the first time in excellent yields at room temperature by selective oxidation of 1,3‐dihyroxyacetone (DHA) using a cheap supported Cu/Al 2 O 3 catalyst with single active Cu II species. By combining EPR spin‐trapping and operando ATR‐IR experiments, different mechanisms for the co‐synthesis of GA, formates, and formamides have been derived, in which . OH radicals formed from H 2 O 2 by a Fenton‐like reaction play a key role.