Studies on Green Synthetic Reactions Based on Formic Acid from Biomass

This book introduces readers to the use of formic acid for efficient organic synthesis. It describes the N-methylation of aromatic and aliphatic amines with formic acid using a boron-based catalyst [B(C6F5)3] in combination with silanes and without the need for an expensive transition metal catalyst. It also shows that formic acid interacts with alkynes and allyl alcohols through a carbonylation process that generates carbon monoxide in situ from nickel and palladium catalysis, respectively, doing away with the need to use high-pressure CO gas and offering a user-friendly and practical method for preparing functionalized a, ß- and ß, ?-unsaturated carboxylic acids. The findings presented not only enrich the field of ‘C1 chemistry,’ but also support the advancement of green and sustainable chemistry. 

Introduction.- Conversion of Formic Acid as C1 building block on Organic Synthesis.- Non-Metal Boron-Catalyzed N-methylation Conversion of Amines with Formic Acid.- Nickel-Catalyzed Hydrocarboxylation of Alkynes with Formic Acid through Catalytic CO Recycling.- Efficient Pd-Catalyzed Carboxylation of Allylic Alcohols with Formic Acid.- Conclusions.

Dr. Ming-Chen Fu received his B.Sc. degree from Hefei University of Technology in 2013, and doctoral degree from The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) under the supervision of Prof. Yao Fu in 2018. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at USTC. His research interests are focused on green synthetic reactions based on formic acid, and development of novel catalytic systems in visible light-induced decarboxylative coupling reactions.