Biomass into chemicals: One-pot two- and three-step synthesis of quinoxalines from biomass-derived glycols and 1,2-dinitrobenzene derivatives using supported gold nanoparticles as catalysts

► Developed efficient and selective synthesis of quinoxalines from biomass diols. ► A reaction mechanism for quinoxaline derivative synthesis is proposed. ► Au/CeO2 and Au/HT produced 2-methylquinoxaline with selectivities higher than 87%. ► Eighty-three percentage yield of 2-methylquinoxaline from PG and 1,2-dinitrobenzene was achieved. ► Au/CeO2 can be easily recovered and reused with a small loss of activity.