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-WO x /TiO 2 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 WO x /TiO 2 to reduce the W═O functional group and create Brønsted acid sites. Similar catalytic activity for THFDM conversion can be been obtained with a physical mixture of Pt/TiO 2 and WO x /TiO 2 due to hydrogen spillover over spatially separate Pt and WO x when a reducible support (TiO 2 ) is used.