One‐Pot Conversion of Xylose to 1,2‐Pentanediol Catalyzed by an Organic Acid‐Assisted Pt/NC in Aqueous Phase.

The direct synthesis of 1,2‐pentanediol (1,2‐PeD) from renewable xylose and its derivatives derived from hemicellulose is appealing yet challenging due to its low selectivity for the target product. In this study, one‐pot catalytic conversion of xylose to 1,2‐PeD was performed by using nitrogen‐doped carbon (NC) supported Pt catalysts with the assistance of organic acids. A remarkable yield of 49.3 % for 1,2‐PeD was achieved by reacting 0.1869 g xylose in 30 mL water at 200 °C under a hydrogen pressure of 3 MPa for 8 h in the presence of 0.1 g of 2.5Pt/NC600 catalyst and 0.1869 g propanoic acid co‐catalyst. The presence of vicinal Pt‐acid pair sites on the surface of the 2.5Pt/NC600 catalyst exhibited a synergistic effect in promoting the hydrogenation of furfural (FF) to furfuryl alcohol (FFA) intermediate and subsequent hydrogenation and ring‐opening reactions leading to the formation of 1,2‐PeD. The addition of organic acids, may serve as both acid catalyst for dehydration of xylose and hydrogen donor for hydrogenation of FF and FFA, thereby promoting the one‐pot conversion of xylose to 1,2‐PeD. Remarkably, the 2.5Pt/NC600 catalyst demonstrated outstanding catalytic performance and good reusability over five consecutive cycles without significant deactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]