Base-Free, One-Pot Chemocatalytic Conversion of Glycerol to Methyl Lactate using Supported Gold Catalysts

We report an efficient one‐pot conversion of glycerol (GLY) to methyl lactate (MLACT) in methanol in good yields (73 % at 95 % GLY conversion) by using Au nanoparticles on commercially available ultra‐stable zeolite‐Y (USY) as the catalyst (160 °C, air, 47 bar pressure, 0.25 M GLY, GLY‐to‐Au mol ratio of 1407, 10 h). The best results were obtained with zeolite USY‐600, a catalyst that has both Lewis and Brønsted sites. This methodology provides a direct chemo‐catalytic route for the synthesis of MLACT from GLY. MLACT is stable under the reaction conditions, and the Au/USY catalyst was recycled without a decrease in the activity and selectivity. From glycerol to green building blocks and solvents! An efficient, base‐free conversion of glycerol to methyl lactate in methanol is reported, achieving good yields (73 % at 95 % glycerol conversion) using Au/ultra‐stable zeolite‐Y (USY) as the catalyst and environmentally benign oxygen as the oxidant by combining two separate reaction steps efficiently in a one pot procedure. The Au/USY catalyst can be recycled without a decrease in the activity and selectivity.