Levulinic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula C5H8O3. It is easily soluble in water and some organic solvents, but insoluble in gasoline, kerosene, turpentine and carbon tetrachloride. It is almost not decomposed by atmospheric distillation, but it loses water and forms unsaturated γ-lactone by long-term heating.
Levulinic acid is a multifunctional compound containing carbonyl, α-hydrogen and carboxyl groups at the same time. It is the basic raw material for synthesizing various light chemical products. It has a wide range of use value in organic synthesis, industry, agriculture and medicine. The hydrogenated product of levulinic acid, γ-valerolactone, is a high-grade solvent and can be used as an intermediate product for preparing synthetic rubber, cold-resistant plasticizers and surfactants. Chlorolevulinic acid can be used as an antibacterial agent for industrial circulating water. In agriculture, the amine salt of chlorolevulinic acid can be used as a herbicide and defoliant. In medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs and intravenous injections can be prepared from levulinic acid using starch, glucose and cellulose raw materials through deep hydrolysis. Usually, it is heated in the presence of hydrochloric acid (or sulfuric acid) or other hydrolysis catalysts to generate 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, then decomposed by 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to obtain levulinic acid, filtered and concentrated, and then vacuum distilled or extracted to obtain the finished product
It can be used as a carboxylic acid reaction or a ketone reaction. Through esterification, halogenation, hydrogenation, oxidative dehydrogenation, condensation and other chemical reactions, a variety of products can be obtained. For example, it can be used as a plastic modifier, solvent, medicine, industrial chemicals, fragrance, pesticide intermediate, organic synthesis intermediate, polymer additive, lubricant additive, surfactant, printing ink, rubber additive, cosmetic additive (including shampoo, toiletries), etc.