Solvent effects on carbohydrate transformation: insights into chemical pathway modulation

Carbohydrate utilization is a crucial aspect of sustainable resource development and offers a promising avenue for replacing fossil fuels. In carbohydrate reaction systems, solvent effects influence the interactions among carbohydrates, catalysts, and solvents. These can affect the reaction trajectory and selectivity, making them a crucial tool for cost-effectively regulating reactions. This review summarizes the primary types of carbohydrate chemical transformation and commonly used solvent systems, providing an overview of solvent effects in these reactions and an insight into solvent effects from a microscopic perspective. Additionally, it provides insights into the current state of solvent engineering and the challenges limiting the development of solvent-based carbohydrate transformation systems. Solvent effects are pivotal steps in carbohydrate utilization by modulating solute-solvent interactions.