In 2011,Wang, Xiangwei; Zhao, Guoming; Zou, Huibin; Cao, Yujin; Zhang, Yongguang; Zhang, Rubing; Zhang, Fan; Xian, Mo published 《The base-free and selective oxidative transformation of 1,3-propanediol into methyl esters by different Au/CeO2 catalysts》.Green Chemistry published the findings.Synthetic Route of C4H8O3 The information in the text is summarized as follows:
Different Au/CeO2 catalysts, prepared by depositing gold on different facets of ceria nanocubes ({100}), nanorods ({110} and {100}) and nanopolyhedra ({111} and {100}), were sep. characterized by means of x-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, TPD and TPR. It was found that certain types of Au/CeO2 could selectively catalyze the oxidative transformation of 1,3-propanediol in methanol to Me 3-hydroxypropionate, Me 3-methoxypropionate, Me acrylate or di-Me malonate by mol. oxygen in the absence of any base. The selectivities of these Au/CeO2 catalysts depended on the shapes of the supporting CeO2 and the reaction temperature The Au/CeO2 cube catalyst with less acidic and basic sites exhibited high selectivity towards Me 3-hydroxypropionate (93.1% at 21.6% conversion). Comparatively, selectivities towards Me acrylate (41.6% at 92.3% conversion) and Me 3-methoxypropionate (40.2% at 92% conversion) increased using Au/CeO2 rod and polyhedron catalysts, which contained more acidic and basic sites than the cube catalyst. Moreover, we found the Au/CeO2 cube catalyst could be recycled without losing the gold nanoparticles. The experimental part of the paper was very detailed, including the reaction process of Methyl 3-hydroxypropanoate(cas: 6149-41-3Synthetic Route of C4H8O3)
Methyl 3-hydroxypropanoate(cas: 6149-41-3) belongs to esters with low molecular weight are commonly used as fragrances and found in essential oils and pheromones. Their flexibility and low polarity is manifested in their physical properties; they tend to be less rigid (lower melting point) and more volatile (lower boiling point) than the corresponding amides. Synthetic Route of C4H8O3
Referemce:
Ester – Wikipedia,
Ester – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics