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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