One-pot xylose-to-cyclopentanone conversion tuned by intermediate partitioning behavior and poisoning-resistant multifunctional Co/Nb2O5 catalysts

Cyclopentanone (CPO) is a versatile chemical intermediate with great industrial relevance. In this work, a sustainable one-pot process converting xylose to CPO was developed via biphasic solvent engineering and a multifunctional Co/Nb 2 O 5 catalyst, overcoming challenges of intermediate condensation and catalyst poisoning . Biphasic solvent system was formulated to integrate the two-stage process, based on the partitioning behavior of key intermediates to avoid unfavorable condensation while maintaining effective acid-assisted ring arrangement in aqueous phase. Co/Nb 2 O 5 outperformed noble metals with 53 % CPO selectivity, attributed to its dual Brönsted/Lewis acidity, moderate hydrogenation capability, and resistance to carboxylic acid byproducts poisoning. Further structure-activity relationship analysis demonstrated that reduction temperature dependent Co δ+ species are critical for FFR conversion, with Co δ+ /Co total ratio presented a linear correlation with FFR conversion rate. This integrated strategy eliminates energy-intensive steps, offering a practical guidance toward catalytic reaction system design for facile and efficient one-pot conversion of xylose to industrially high-value compounds. • Biphasic system integrating dehydration and hydrogenation in one-pot xylose conversion based on intermediates partitioning behavior. • Co/Nb 2 O 5 shows 53 % CPO yield from xylose due to its superior anti-poisoning properties against by-product from the first stage. • Co δ+ /Co total ratio tuned by reduction temperature presents a linear correlation with FFR conversion rate.