Highly Selective Isomerization of Glucose to Fructose through a Biphasic and Recyclable Mimetic Enzyme Catalyst

Abstract

Developing a biphasic catalyst is of great significance for improving reaction efficiency and its industrial application. Herein a novel biphasic catalyst containing three functional groups of chlorophenol, amino and carboxyl was synthesized and used as mimic glucose isomerase to catalyze the isomerization. The mimic enzyme exhibited excellent catalytic performance for isomerization of glucose to fructose under mild conditions. Temperature and pH of solution showed significant influence on the conversion of glucose and the selectivity of fructose. The yield and selectivity of fructose reached 32.4 % and 91.0 % after reacting 2 h, respectively, at pH 9.5 and 90 °C. The solubility of the catalyst exhibited dual sensitivity to both pH and temperature. The catalyst was in a soluble state during the reaction process and could be precipitated by reducing the pH and temperature of the reaction system. The catalyst could be reused and still maintained good catalytic activity after five consecutive cycles.