Insights into the Ring-Opening of Biomass-Derived Furanics over Carbon-Supported Ruthenium.

The selective ring-opening of cellulose-derived furanic molecules is a promising pathway for the production of industrially relevant linear oxygenates, such as 1,6-hexanediol. 2,5-Dimethylfuran (DMF) is employed as a model compound in a combined experimental and computational investigation to provide insights into the metal-catalyzed ring-opening. Ring-opening to 2-hexanol and 2-hexanone and ring-saturation to 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran (DMTHF) are identified as two main parallel pathways.