Patent ID: 6946563

Claim:
A process for preparing 5-methyl-dihydro-furan-2-one comprising forming a reaction mixture comprising levulinic acid and a solvent in the presence of hydrogen and a catalytic amount of an optionally supported catalytic metal, and subjecting the reaction mixture to a temperature and pressure sufficient to cause the reaction mixture to exist as a supercritical or near-critical fluid phase. 2 .The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein said solvent is selected from a group consisting carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, fluoromethane, trifluoromethane, tetrafluromethane, propanol, isopropanol butanol, isobutane, cyclohexane, water, C1-C6 alkane, C1-C6 alkane substituted with C1, C1-C6 alkane substituted F, C1-C6 alkane substituted with Br, and mixtures thereof.