A Systematic Study of Metal Triflates in Catalytic Transformations of Glucose in Water and Methanol: Identifying the Interplay of Brønsted and Lewis Acidity.

The specific type of acidity associated with the given metal trifloromethanesulfonates (Brønsted or Lewis acidity) dramatically influences the course of reactions, and it is possible to select for disaccharides, fructose, methyl glucosides, or methyl levulinate. Glucose is transformed into a range of value-added molecules in water and methanol under the action of acidic metal triflates as catalysts, including their analogous Brønsted acid-assisted or Brønsted base-modified systems. A systematic study is presented of a range of metal triflates in methanol and water, pinning down the preferred conditions to select for each product.