Valuable polyester monomers and plasticizers-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (CHDA), and 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylates-have been prepared by a new strategy. The synthetic processes involve a proline-catalyzed formal [3+1+2] cycloaddition of formaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, and acrylate (or fumarate). CHDM is produced after a subsequent hydrogenation step over a commercially available Cu/Zn/Al catalyst and a one-pot hydrogenation/oxidation/hydrolysis process yields CHDA, whereas 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylate is obtained by a Pd/C-catalyzed tandem decarbonylation/hydrogenation step.
Keywords: 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylate; crotonaldehyde; formaldehyde; plasticizers; polyester monomers.
© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.