Levoglucosenone and Its New Applications: Valorization of Cellulose Residues

Abstract

The need to find sustainable alternatives to reduce the dependence on fossil sources has led to significant research efforts on the conversion of biomass into platform chemicals. Modern organic chemistry requires easily obtainable chiral building blocks that show high chemical versatility for their application in the synthesis of enantiopure compounds. The selective pyrolytic conversion of cellulose or cellulose-containing materials produces levoglucosenone, a highly functionalized chiral structure. This compound has been innovatively used as a template for the synthesis of key intermediates of biologically active products and for the preparation of chiral auxiliaries, catalysts, and organocatalysts for their application in asymmetric synthesis.