Sorbitol → Isosorbide

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Sorbitol (25.21 g) was dissolved in water (500 ml) and then transferred to a 1 L autoclave reactor vessel. The catalyst, MFI-40 (HZSM-5 zeolite, 5.02 g), was added. After flushing three times with hydrogen, pressure was set to 300 psi and the reactor was heated with stirring to 280° C. The pressure increased to 1100 psi with heating. Timing began when the reactor reached 280° C. After 30 minutes a 42.4% yield of isosorbide (calculated as mol isosorbide produced/mol starting sorbitol) was obtained.

Provenance & Evidence