A Nonsymmetrical PN <sup>3</sup> P‐Iron(II) Complex as a Catalyst for the Selective Conversion of Glycerol to Lactate
Glycerol, the byproduct of a multi-ton biofuel industry, is a cheap and useful feedstock for value-added chemical transformations. The conversion of glycerol to lactic acid has been realized using pincer complexes, mainly based on 4d and 5d transition metals. Herein, a well-defined, nonsymmetrical PN<sup>3</sup>P-Fe complex (Fe-1) was synthesized and characterized. Single-crystal x-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) revealed a distorted square pyramidal geometry, while spectroscopic analysis and the Evans method confirmed a high-spin Fe(II) center. The complex Fe-1 performed glycerol to lactate transformation with an excellent yield and selectivity of up to 87%. Furthermore, a series of control experiments demonstrated the molecular nature of the transformation and elucidated the role of the catalyst in the organic cascade.
Authors
- Suman Dhara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1948-4490)
- Pirudhan Karak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6073-5103)
- Indranil Dutta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0845-9193)
- Kuo‐Wei Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1900-2658)
- Subhra Samanta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4889-2370)
- Giao N. Ngô (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6695-0151)
- Minghui Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2133-1162)
- Tiberiu Sprincean
Institutions
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Chemistry - An Asian Journal
- Published
- 2025-11-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.202500958
- Primary Topic
- Catalysis for Biomass Conversion
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology