Niobium‐Based Metal Oxides as Solid Acids for Acetamide Hydrolysis and Cellulose Hydrolysis

ABSTRACT In recent years, Nb oxides have been widely used and developed in catalysis due to their excellent acidity. In this study, a series of Nb‐based transition metal oxides were synthesized. The synthesis involved the selection of diverse niobium sources, the employment of hydrothermal and hydrolysis synthesis methods, the application of different heat‐treatment temperatures and acid‐exchange methods, as well as the doping with various second elements. The above catalysts were used in the reaction of acetamide hydrolysis to produce acetic acid, and it was found that the Nb‐based catalyst doped with Ti demonstrated good performance. Characterizations indicated that this outstanding performance could be attributed to its high content of Lewis acid sites. Additionally, the Ti‐doped Nb catalysts were used in cellulose hydrolysis and were found to be active. Under specific conditions, the total yield of the products reached 37.4%, with a glucose yield of 23.7%.