Continuous Production of Biorenewable, Polymer-Grade Lactone Monomers through Sn-β-Catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation with H O.

The Baeyer-Villiger oxidation is a key transformation for sustainable chemical synthesis, especially when H O and solid materials are employed as oxidant and catalyst, respectively. 4-substituted cycloketones, which are readily available from renewables, present excellent platforms for Baeyer-Villiger upgrading. Such substrates exhibit substantially higher levels of activity and produce lactones at higher levels of lactone selectivity at all values of substrate conversion, relative to non-substituted cyclohexanone.