CHAPTER 6: Renewable Starting Materials, Biocatalysis, and Multicomponent Reactions: A Powerful Trio for the Green Synthesis of Highly Valued Chemicals

This chapter illustrates a series of recent examples on the cooperation of multicomponent reactions with biocatalysis and/or with the use of renewable starting materials derived from biomass. Teaming these three green methodologies affords important benefits from the point of view of sustainable synthesis. In particular, biocatalysts have been used to (i) generate enantiopure inputs for multicomponent reactions, (ii) resolve racemic multicomponent products, and (iii) catalyze the multicomponent process itself. As far as it concerns renewable inputs, this chapter will focus on the exploitation of diols, furan derivatives, levulinic acid, and lipids.