Oxygen → 2-keto-L-Gulonic acid

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Reaction Steps

A palladium-bismuth catalyst is disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 163340/1982 which relates to a process for producing 2-keto-L-gulonic acid. In this process, a hydroxyl group of L-sorbose (ketose) is oxidized with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst containing palladium and bismuth to obtain 2-keto-L-gulonic acid in a yield of 85%. The process of the present invention is characterized in that not the hydroxyl group but an aldehydo group of glucose (aldose) is oxidized to obtain gluconic acid. The process of the present invention is different from the above-mentioned process in the functional group to be oxidized and the intended product. It has been unknown in the prior art that the palladium-bismuth catalyst selectively oxidizes only the aldehydo group of glucose as an aldose, leaving the hydroxyl group non-oxidized.

Provenance & Evidence