Merging Lignin and Glycerol Carbonate Valorization Toward the Green Synthesis of β-Adrenergic Blocker Esmolol

Producing nitrogen-containing chemicals through the direct combination of by-products readily available from agricultural waste, including renewable aromatic building blocks from lignin, is a highly attractive approach for sustainable biorefining processes. Here, we describe a novel synthetic/catalytic route toward the production of the highly valuable β-adrenergic blocker esmolol. Our strategy consists of: 1) Reductive Catalytic Fractionation (RCF) of sugarcane lignocellulose mediated by copper porous metal oxides (Cu₂₀PMO) in MeOH, leading to the in situ formation of methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate (1H) with good selectivity (>70%), followed by 2) the selective catalytic amination of glycerol carbonate (GlyC) with isopropyl amine via the borrowing hydrogen strategy, and 3) the subsequent utilization of the obtained amine intermediate as a phenol alkylating agent in combination with 1H to afford the desired β-adrenergic blocker esmolol (1Ha).