Conversion of carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural catalyzed by acidic ionic liquids in dimethyl sulfoxide

•Production of HMF from carbohydrates catalyzed by [CMIm]Cl was realized in DMSO.•A high HMF yield was obtained in 90.8% from fructose for 40 min at 120 °C.•A high yield was obtained in 88.4% from inulin through the one-pot reaction.•Dehydration of other carbohydrates was realized catalyzed by ZrOCl2 and [CMIm]Cl.

An efficient process was developed for the conversion of carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using DMSO as the solvent and an acidic ionic liquid 1-carboxypropyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([CMIm]Cl) as the catalyst. The effects of various reaction parameters on HMF yields were investigated. HMF yields of 95.7% and 88.4% were obtained from fructose and inulin when reactions were carried out 120 °C after 120 min and 180 min, respectively. The combination of ZrOCl2 and [CMIm]Cl resulted in a 50.6% yield of HMF from glucose. HMF could also be synthesized using other carbohydrates with moderate to high yields.