Inside Cover: Branched Diol Monomers from the Sequential Hydrogenation of Renewable Carboxylic Acids (ChemCatChem 19/2016)

The Cover shows the sequential hydrogenation of five‐carbon acids using Pd and Ru heterogeneous catalysts in aqueous media. In their Communication, C. S. Spanjers et al. demonstrated an efficient process for the synthesis of lactones, diols, and triols from five‐ and six‐carbon acids. The transformation consists of two sequential high‐pressure hydrogenations: reduction of the acid to a lactone at high temperature and further reduction of the lactone to the corresponding diol or triol at low temperature. These products are valuable monomers for the synthesis of bioderived branched polyesters. More information can be found in the Communication by C. S. Spanjers et al. on page 3031 in Issue 19, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201600710).