Synthesis of biomass-derived methylcyclopentane as a gasoline additive viaaldol condensation/hydrodeoxygenation of 2,5-hexanedione

A novel approach to produce biomass-derived gasoline is the hydrolysis of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) to produce 2,5-hexanedione followed by base-catalyzed intramolecular aldol condensation of this product to form 3-methylcyclopent-2-enone (MCP). By proper choice of catalysts and conditions, MCP yields of 98% can be achieved. We further show that hydrogenation of MCP over Pt/NbOPO sub(4) gives methylcyclopentane with virtually quantitative yields. Methylcyclopentane is an attractive gasoline substitute for ethanol, since its octane number is similar to ethanol and its gravimetric energy density is 58% higher.