Formic acid: A versatile renewable reagent for green and sustainable chemical synthesis

Formic acid is available as a major byproduct from biorefinery processing and this together with its unique properties, including non-toxicity, favorable energy density, and biodegradability, make it an economically appealing and safe reagent for energy storage and chemical synthesis. This review provides an overview of novel recent achievements in green catalytic transformations that use biogenic formic acid as an efficient and versatile reagent. The examples selected demonstrate the advantages of formic acid in addressing the key issues (minimizing the use and generation of hazardous substances while maximizing productivity under mild and benign reaction conditions) in clean chemical transformation. Special emphasis is put on the prospects of formic acid for delivering new catalytic technology to produce a plethora of tailor-made products via the flexible and selective conversion of renewable biomass resources. The potential of formic acid as a renewable C1 feedstock for both bulk and fine chemical syntheses is also outlined with examples. The role of multifunctionality in catalyst design as a key aspect in developing new catalytic concepts capable of promoting new transformations to give unprecedented selectivity and efficiency is also discussed. This article is expected to advance research on sustainable, green and affordable bio-based processes as alternatives to traditional ones with the goal to develop a fully sustainable chemical industry based on renewable resources.

Graphical AbstractDespite its structural simplicity, formic acid is a versatile bio-renewable feedstock for opening up new chemical space to lead to the discovery of new sustainable reactions of unprecedented selectivity.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide