Selective hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone using in situ generated ruthenium nanoparticles derived from Ru-NHC complexes.

Hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) to gamma-valerolactone (GVL) was studied by using mono- and bidentate p-cymene ruthenium(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes as catalyst precursors. In water, all complexes were found to be reduced in situ to form ruthenium nanoparticles (RuNPs) with a high hydrogenation activity. In organic solvents, complexes with monodentate NHC ligands also formed nanoparticles, while complexes with bidentate ligands gave rise to stable homogeneous catalysts with moderate hydrogenation activities.