Caprolactam from Renewable Resources: Catalytic Conversion of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural into Caprolactone

Renewable nylon: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which can be obtained from renewable resources such as D-fructose, was converted into caprolactone with very good overall selectivity in only three steps. The new route involves two hydrogenation steps to obtain 1,6-hexanediol, which was oxidatively cyclized to caprolactone, and then converted into caprolactam.