Biomass has been identified as the ultimate sustainable resource for all carbon‐based consumer products of the chemical industries in the future. Its catalytic conversion leads to the formation of various platform chemicals that could partially or even fully replace the fossil‐based building blocks that have been currently used in synthetic chemical processes. Among these compounds, levulinic acid (LA) has been recognized as a member of the "Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass" and has attracted significant attention since the seminal paper reported by Werpy and Petersen in 2004. This review summarizes the properties, recent advances, and developments in the chemistry of levulinic acid. The production of LA from both plant and animal‐based carbohydrate feedstocks via 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural or furfuryl alcohol is discussed from a mechanistic perspective, highlighting intrinsic molecular‐level limitations to LA formation. The efficiencies of recently developed catalytic systems are also summarized and compared. Furthermore, the conversion of LA into high‐value‐added downstream chemicals, including its role in the synthesis of complex molecular structures, is overviewed. This section discussed the reactions of LA in the points of view of its various transformations on carbonyl‐, carboxy‐, methyl‐, and methylene functional groups. The reactions of these functionalities with C‐ ,N‐, O‐, and S‐nucleophiles, alcohols, amines, organometallic reagents, oxygen etc. were thematically summarized. Our review also outlooks to highlight the challenges and opportunities associated with the extensive research area of organic chemistry of levulinic acid.

中文翻译：

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乙酰丙酸的化学：它在生物质化学品生产中的潜力


生物质已被确定为未来化学工业所有碳基消费品的最终可持续资源。它的催化转化导致各种平台化学品的形成，这些化学品可以部分甚至完全取代目前用于合成化学过程的化石基结构单元。在这些化合物中，乙酰丙酸 （LA） 已被公认为“生物质的最高附加值化学品”的成员，自 2004 年 Werpy 和 Petersen 发表开创性论文以来引起了广泛关注。本文总结了乙酰丙酸化学的性质、最新进展和发展。从机理角度讨论了通过 5-羟甲基糠醛或糠醇从植物和动物碳水化合物原料中生产 LA，强调了 LA 形成的内在分子水平限制。还总结和比较了最近开发的催化系统的效率。此外，还概述了 LA 转化为高附加值的下游化学品，包括其在复杂分子结构合成中的作用。本节从其对羰基、羧基、甲基和亚甲基官能团的各种转化的角度讨论了 LA 的反应。对这些功能与 C-、N-、O-和 S-亲核试剂、醇、胺、有机金属试剂、氧等的反应进行了主题总结。我们的综述还展望了与乙酰丙酸有机化学的广泛研究领域相关的挑战和机遇。