Chiral Catalytic Wood with a Molecular Sieve-like Architecture for Aldol Reactions

Advancing green catalysis hinges on boosting the catalytic efficiency while reducing the cost and complexity. Conventional molecular sieves, despite large surface areas and uniform pores, often exhibit low pore utilization, restricted accessibility for bulky substrates, lengthy functionalization, and high expenses. Here, we report a wood-based catalyst that addresses these limitations by leveraging the intrinsic, multiscale porosity and abundant interfacial functionalities of natural wood. Delignification yields lignin-free wood enriched in active groups and hierarchical pores; subsequent grafting of l-proline produces a molecular sieve-like wood with well-defined chiral catalytic sites and efficient mass transfer. Under identical reaction conditions, the catalyst exhibits a catalytic efficiency comparable to that of conventional molecular sieves, while the enantiomeric excess reaches 50% and remains stable thereafter. The material also shows notable persistence: after several catalytic cycles, its initial catalytic efficiency remains 5-fold higher than that of conventional molecular sieve catalysts, underscoring excellent reusability and recyclability. The straightforward preparation and performance gains highlight molecular sieve-like wood as a sustainable and practical platform for organic chiral catalysis. These life-cycle assessment results indicate that molecular sieve-like wood could serve as a sustainable alternative to conventional molecular sieves for green catalytic applications.