La rétro-aldolisation des sucres : une réaction clé pour la production de molécules plateformes à chaines courtes à partir de la biomasse

(Text in French) Retro-aldolisation of sugars, a key reaction to produce short-chain platform chemicals from biomass. Retro-aldolization of sugars is a key step to produce short-chain chemicals from biomass, such as lactic acid or ethylene glycol. Depending on the substrate sugar, C2 (glycolaldehyde from glucose) or C3 compounds (dihydroxyacetone/glyceraldehyde from fructose) can be obtained. However, controlling selectivity is highly challenging, and the outcome of the reaction largely depends on the catalyst employed in the reaction. Homogeneous catalysts based on tungsten polyanions selectively promote glucose retro-aldolization, affording C2 species, while heterogeneous tin-based zeotype catalysts favor the isomerization of glucose into fructose, followed by the retroaldolization of fructose, which leads to C3 products. Isotopic and functional labelling strategies are used to gain insight into the mechanisms of these important reactions.