Electrolysis of biomass-derived carbonyl compounds is an alternative to condensation chemistry for supplying products with chain length >C6 for biofuels and renewable materials production. Kolbe coupling of biomass-derived levulinic acid is used to obtain 2,7-octanedione, a new platform molecule only two low process-intensity steps removed from raw biomass. Hydrogenation to 2,7-octanediol provi...

The amino acid-catalysed retroaldol condensation previously described for citral has been extended to other α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. In the presence of glycine and an elevated pH, six other α,β-unsaturated aldehydes also underwent retroaldol condensation. Crotonaldehyde, as well as its proposed intermediate, aldol, were converted into acetaldehyde. Hexenal, decenal, methyl crotonaldehyde, far...