Conversion of glucose and cellobiose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) by rare earth metal salts in N,N′-dimethylacetamide (DMA)

d-Glucose and cellobiose were converted into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) by rare earth metal chlorides LnCl3 (Ln = Sc, Y, La) in N,N′-dimethylacetamide (DMA). Both conversion and selectivity strongly depend on the ionic radii of the rare earth metal center. Conversion of fructose into HMF proceeds significantly faster and with higher selectivity than of glucose, suggesting a mechanism that involves the transformation of glucose into fructose as a crucial, rate determining step.

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► Rare earth metal chlorides can be applied for the dehydration of carbohydrates in DMA.
► Scandium is considerably more active than yttrium or lanthanum.
► Data suggest a mechanism involving the transformation of glucose into fructose.
► Cellobiose can be transformed into HMF in a one-pot approach.