One-pot conversion of biomass-derived carbohydrates into 5-[(formyloxy)methyl]furfural: A novel alternative platform chemical

• 5-[(Formyloxy)methyl]furfural (FMF) was produced directly from cellulose in formic acid reaction system with a yield of 29.4% mol/mol.
• Alkali metal bromides were discovered to effectively catalyze cellulose conversion to FMF.
• Up to 2% water or acid in reaction system does not affect the FMF yield.
• FMF with purity up to 97% mol/mol could be conveniently recovered in a two-step process.

5-(Hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) is an important platform chemical, but the large scale production is limited by its instability. In this research, 5-[(formyloxy)methyl]furfural (FMF), derived from HMF, was produced directly from cellulose in formic acid reaction system with a yield of 33.4 mol% at 150 °C for 2 h. Among numerous metal salt catalysts screened in this study, alkali metal bromides were found to be effective in catalyzing cellulose conversion to FMF. Bromide anions facilitation of the esterification of HMF to form FMF was confirmed. In addition, the effects of water, acid and other reaction parameters also were investigated when NaBr was used as the catalyst. Up to 2% of water or acid in this reaction system did not impact on the FMF yield. Increasing the temperature for every 20 °C from 130 °C to 170 °C halved the reaction time but did not change the maximum yield. FMF was more hydrophobic and thermostable than HMF, which made it easier to be recovered. In a two-step process, FMF with a recovery of 29.4 mol% and purity of 97 mol% was obtained.

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