The excellent performance of amorphous Cr2O3, SnO2, SrO and graphene oxide–ferric oxide in glucose conversion into 5-HMF

• 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) yield achieved 86% over graphene oxide–Fe2O3.
• Fe2O3 exhibited very poor catalytic activity.
• 84%, 81% and 99% 5-HMF yields were obtained over amorphous Cr2O3, SnO2 and SrO.
• The calcined Cr2O3, SnO2 and SrO at higher temperature lost the catalytic activities.
• Mechanisms of glucose conversion over different catalysts were proposed.

Amorphous Cr2O3, SnO2 and SrO presented an excellent performance in the conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), and 5-HMF yields achieved 84%, 81% and 99%, however, the calcined metal oxides almost completely lost the catalytic activities. Although Fe2O3 exhibited very poor catalytic activity, the graphene oxide–Fe2O3 (GO–Fe2O3) displayed a better performance in catalytic glucose conversion to 5-HMF (86% yield) in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([EMIM]Br). The plausible mechanisms of glucose conversion to 5-HMF over amorphous Cr2O3, SnO2, SrO and GO–Fe2O3 were proposed.

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