Activation of Carbonyl-Containing Molecules with Solid Lewis Acids in Aqueous Media

Current interest in reacting carbonyl-containing molecules in aqueous media is primarily due to the growing emphasis on conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals. Recently, solid Lewis acids have been shown to perform catalytic reactions with carbonyl-containing molecules such as sugars in aqueous media. Here, catalysis mediated by Lewis acids is briefly discussed, Lewis acid solids that perform catalysis in aqueous media are then described, and the review is concluded with a few comments on the outlook for the future.