Oxy-vacancy Mo-acetylacetone catalyzes N-acetylglucosamine to co-produce furan and pyrrole compounds

The cleavage of C-C bonds to generate small molecules is a pivotal strategy for integrating shell bio-refinery products into the conventional chemical industry. Herein, we synthesized a novel bifunctional acetylacetone molybdenum-based catalyst with oxygen vacancies and acid sites (Ov-Mo-acac), which catalyze the retro-aldol reaction of N-acetylglucosamine (NAG), consequently the condensation with acetylacetone and dehydration to co-produce furan and pyrrole compounds. Reaction optimization resulted in a remarkable yield of 95 % for N-acetyl-3-acetyl-2-methyl pyrrole (AMAP) and 74 % for 5-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-3-acetylfuran (DMAF) from NAG at 90 ℃ for 3 h. XPS, EPR, and Raman confirmed the reduction of molybdenum from the Mo⁶⁺ to Mo⁵⁺ and Mo⁴⁺, and oxygen vacancies on the surface. Furthermore, the catalyst has Lewis and Brønsted acidic sites, as evidenced by py-FTIR and ¹H MAS NMR. The study offers a new approach to utilizing shellfishery waste and sheds the function of oxygen vacancies on Mo-based catalysts for the retro-aldol reaction of carbohydrates.