Catalysis

Raw material

Alkoxide

Thermodynamics

Glyceric acid

Physics

Organic chemistry

Glycerol

Partial oxidation

Chemistry

Liquid phase

Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society

Glycerol can be effectively converted to glyceric acid, a high value‐added pharmaceutical raw material, through its partial oxidation over an Au/Al 2 O 3 catalyst under strongly basic conditions. The factors important for the highly selective production of glyceric acid were investigated experimentally. It was clarified that NaOH was involved in the glycerol activation step to a glycerol alkoxide intermediate (2, 3‐dihydroxypropoxide) in the liquid phase, then glyceric acid was formed by OOH species derived from O 2 on an Au catalyst in the partial oxidation step. We have newly discovered the concerted effect of NaOH and O 2 in different reaction steps.

Efficient Conversion of Glycerol into High Value‐Added Chemicals by Partial Oxidation