Development of Aluminium-exchanged Montmorillonite as a Solid Acid Catalyst for Triose Transformation

We developed green chemical synthesis of alkyl lactates from triose by using Aluminium-exchanged montmorillonite (Al3+-mont) as a solid acid catalyst. The Al3+-mont catalyzed triose transformation efficiently to afford high yield and selectivity of alkyl lactates. Moreover, this catalyst was applicable for large-scale reaction and reusable while maintaining its high catalytic activity.