Mechanistic Studies of the Cu(OH) -Catalyzed Isomerization of Glucose into Fructose in Water.

The isomerization of glucose to fructose is a crucial interim step in the processing of biomass to renewable fuels and chemicals. This study investigates the copper-catalyzed glucose-fructose isomerization in water, focusing on insights into the roles of the dissolved copper species. Depending on the pH, the thermodynamic equilibrium shifted towards one or a few copper species, namely Cu , Cu(OH) , and Cu(OH) .