To explore the synthesis of furfural from D-xylose, several reactions were done using various reaction conditions including four catalysts to determine the best yield. The four catalysts investigated in this study were HCl, SnCl4, Nb2O5 and H2SO4. To determine the best method for quantitative analysis, identical reactions were run, and their products were tested by two different methods: high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Results from these analyses were quantified using calibration curves for each respective method to determine reaction yield. Based upon accuracy, workup, and product recovery, NMR was deemed to be a more suitable method for furfural quantification. Our results show that HCl was the highest performing catalyst with yields as high as 20%. Despite previous reports claiming Nb2O5 is an effective catalyst for furfural formation, our results showed that it was our least effective catalyst.

Synthesizing furfural from xylose and quantitative analysis via HPLC and NMR

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.