Highly efficient and N-bromosuccinimide-mediated conversion of carbohydrates to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural under mild conditions.

Tian, Guo; Tong, Xinli; Wang, Yanhua; Yan, Yongtao; Xue, Song

Highly efficient and selective conversion of different carbohydrates to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has been successfully performed with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a promoter. In the presence of single NBS, a 64.2 % yield of HMF from fructose was obtained in N-methylpyrrolidone for 2 h. The effects of time, temperature and reaction media are discussed. It was concluded that the preliminary bromination of substrate could improve the generation of HMF compared to the direct dehydration process. Moreover, the HMF yield could be elevated to 79.6 and 82.3 % when FeCl and SnCl were used as the additives, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of CrCl facilitated the conversion pathway from glucose, sucrose, inulin, or cellulose to HMF. A 57.3, 68.2, 62.4, or 6.1 % yield of HMF was, respectively, obtained in the presence of CrCl and NBS under mild conditions, which will therefore generate a promising application strategy for biomass transformation.

BROMOSUCCINIMIDE; CARBOHYDRATES; HYDROXYMETHYLFURFURAL; BIOMASS conversion; FRUCTOSE; DEHYDRATION reactions

Research on Chemical Intermediates, 2013, Vol 39, Issue 7, p3255

0922-6168

Academic Journal

10.1007/s11164-012-0837-x