Levulinic acid (LA) is transformed into pyrrolidinones by formic acid in DMSO without a catalyst. Mechanistic studies suggest the involvement of an iminium intermediate and a rate-limiting hydride transfer step.
catalyst was developed to produce biomass-derived 5-methylpyrrolidone under room temperature and atmospheric hydrogen. The suitable mesoporous structure created high dispersion of Pt species and accelerated the reaction processes. The isomerization of imine to enamine on the catalyst made this conversion easy undermildconditions.