Baeyer–Villiger-oxidation of cyclopentanone with aqueous hydrogen peroxide by acid heterogeneous catalysis Original Research Article

Using aqueous hydrogen peroxide containing 30% H2O2, solid acid catalysts were compared in their performance as catalysts for the transformation of cyclopentanone to δ-valerolactone. It could be shown that organic ion exchange resins with sulphonic acid groups providing acid functionality are promising catalysts for this reaction. The variation of several reaction parameters was studied in more detail. The obtained results were compared to investigations of zeolites and Nafion® composite materials.