Solvent-free transesterification of methyl levulinate and esterification of levulinic acid catalyzed by a homogeneous iron(III) dimer complex

Levulinic acid esters MeC(O)CH2CH2CO2R (LAE) are emerging bio-based chemicals used as solvents, additives and plasticizers. In this work a variety of levulinates (R = n-butyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, 2-ethylhexyl, geranyl, 2-ethoxyethyl, benzyl, 2-octyl, cyclohexyl, menthyl) is obtained from the solvent-free transesterification of methyl levulinate (ML) and esterification of levulinic acid (LA), catalyzed by a dimeric complex of iron(III). The results are competitive with the few related reports of literature mainly based on heterogeneous catalysis. This first systematic study based on a homogeneous catalytic system therefore represents a significant extension within the field of biomass valorization.