Expanding the scope of biomass-derived chemicals through tandem reactions based on oxorhenium-catalyzed deoxydehydration.

New modes of DODH: Oxorhenium compounds act as deoxydehydration(DODH)/acid dual-purpose catalysts to transform biomass-derived diol substrates into a variety of commodity chemical precursors. The power of this approach is highlighted by a tandem [1,3]-OH shift/DODH of 2-ene-1,4-diols and 2,4-diene-1,6-diols, and by a DODH/esterification sequence of sugar acids to unsaturated esters for the production of polymers and plasticizers.