5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a dehydration product of C<sub>6</sub> carbohydrates, is a potential renewable polymer precursor. 5-HMF can be obtained from fructose dehydration.  Glucose is more abundant in nature and is an attractive raw material for 5-HMF production. The prospect of economically converting glucose to 5-HMF has motivated tremendous research interests.  Water is a green solvent. However, water is not favorable for the thermodynamics of carbohydrate dehydration. In addition, 5-HMF can easily crack to levulinic acid and formic acid in acid catalyzed aqueous system, resulting in low 5-HMF yield. Our earlier work  showed that Cr(II, III) chlorides are excellent glucose isomerization catalysts in ionic liquids. Our recent work shows that Cr(III) is also an effective catalyst for glucose isomerization in aqueous phase. To facilitate the dehydration function in aqueous system, tailoring the solvent property becomes crucial for 5-HMF formation. Therefore, mixed solvents of water and organics with low boiling were studied. Low-boiling point organic solvents with water were screened. This presentation shows the effects of mixed solvents, salts, and metal chloride catalysts, resulting in over 70% 5-HMF yield.

Catalytic synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from cellulosic biomass in mixed aqueous-organic solvents

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.